UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


ROBERT  ERNEST  COWAN 


Proceedings 

Pacific  States  Thral 
Congress. 


JVcademy  of  Sciences,  San  Trancisco, 


504 


ACADEMY    OF    SCIENCES 
Where  the  Pacific  States  Floral  Congress  was  held 


Pacific  States 

Floral 
Congress 


CALIFORNIA    STATE 
FLORAL    SOCIETY 


ACADEMY    OF    SCIENCES 

SAN    FRANCISCO 
MAY  14,   15,   16,   1901 


Edited  by  the 

COMMITTEE  Off  PUBLICATION 
EMORY  E.  SMITH 
FREDERICK  V.  HOLMAN 
MRS.  AUSTIN  SPERRY 
MRS.  O.  D.  BALDWIN 


INCEPTION   OF   THE   CONGRESS. 

The  Congress  had  its  conception  in  a  desire  upon  the  part  of  the 
California  State  Floral  Society  to  extend  its  sphere  of  usefulness. 


To  advance  the  art  of  ornamental  horticulture.  To  promote  ac- 
quaintance and  interchange  of  ideas.  To  impart  to  the  public  a  definite 
knowledge  of  the  beauties  and  utilities  of  nature  and  of  "  the  art  which 
doth  mend  nature." 

DELEGATES. 

The  territorial  scope  of  the  Congress  included  Oregon,  Washington, 
Nevada,  Arizona,  and  California.  All  florists,  seedsmen,  botanists,  hor- 
ticultural writers  and  teachers,  amateur  floriculturists,  landscape  and 
private  gardeners,  and  members  of  horticultural  societies,  were  entitled 
to  seats.  t 

Normal  and  public  school-teachers  and  all  lovers  of  nature  were 
welcome. 

PROGRAM. 

About  thirty  talented  speakers  and  essayists  accepted  places  upon 
the  program.  The  general  divisions  were  Department  of  Literature, 
Department  of  Botany,  Department  of  Landscape  Gardening,  Depart- 
ment of  Practise — Sections  One,  Two,  Three,  and  Four.  A  question- 
box  was  also  opened.  California  speakers  were  limited  to  thirty  min- 
utes; speakers  from  other  states,  to  forty-five  minutes.  The  opening 
session  began  at  10  o'clock  the  morning  of  May  14,  and  the  seventh  ses- 
sion closed  at  4  the  afternoon  of  the  16th. 

All  the  sessions  were  opened  with  prayer  and  music. 

A  collation  was  served  by  the  entertainment  committee  at  the  close 
of  the  two  opening  sessions. 

About  one  hundred  delegates'  cards  were  filed  with  the  secretary. 
The  audiences  were  excellent,  and  the  interest  at  all  times  enthusiastic. 


INDEX 

INCEPTION  OF  THE  CONGRESS. 

COMMITTEES  OF  ARRANGEMENT. 

OFFICERS  AND  COMMITTEES. 

REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  RESOLUTION? 

A  FLOWER  MESSAGE  (poem),  Eben  E.  Rexford,  Wis  .......................  7 

WALKING  WITH  NATURE  (poem),  Geo.  W.  Dunn  ...........................  9 

How  TO  PRODUCE  NEW  FLOWERS,  Luther  Burbank  .......................  10 

WATER  GARDENING  IN  CALIFORNIA,  Edmund  D.  Sturtevant  ............  14 

DEVELOPING  PUBLIC  PARKS,  John  McLaren  .................................  20 

FERNS  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST,  Lorenzo  G.  Yates  ..........................  25 

BAMBOOS  AND  ORNAMENTAL  GRASSES,  C.  F.  Franceschi  ..................  31 

FLORAL  LITERATURE  OF  CALIFORNIA,  Charles  H.  Shinn  ..................  35 

HARDINESS  OF  PALMS,  Thomas  Compton  ......................................  39 

SHRUBS  OF  CALIFORNIA,  Miss  Alice  Eastwood  ...............................  43 

^  ESCHSCHOLTZIA,  Volney  Rattan  ..................................................  51 

^NATIVE  ANNUALS,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Wiester  ......................................  54 


1 


PERENNIALS,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Chandler  ...................................  58 

§=  MOSSES  AND  LICHENS  OF  PACIFIC  COAST,  Josiah  Keep  ...................  61 

o|  WHAT  FLOWERS  TEACH  Us,   Mrs.  L.  O.  Hodgkins  ........................  71 

^RAILWAY  GARDENING  IN  CALIFORNIA,  Johannes  Reimers  ................  75 

CACTI  AND  THEIR  CULTURE,  Mrs.  Henry  P.  Tricou   .....................  82 

PROTECTION  OF  GARDENS  FROM  FROST,  Alexander  G.  McAdie  .........  86 

GROWING  FLOWER  SEED,  Lester  L.  Morse    .....................  .  ............   91 

THE  BIG  TREES,  Wm.  R.  Dudley  .............................................  99 

PHOTOGRAPHING  PLANT  LIFE,  O.  V.  Lange  ..................................  107 

SEMITROPICAL  GARDENING,  E.  J.  Wickson   .................................  110 

CALIFORNIA  SEED  INDUSTRY,  Waldo  Rohnert  ................................  116 

FLORICULTURE  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO,  Mrs.  A.  R.  Gunnison  ................  119 

FIELD-GROWN  ROSES,  John  Gill  ................................................  125 

FLORICULTURE  IN  SAN  DIEGO,  Miss  Kate  O.  Sessions    ....................  129 

THE  BEGONIA,  P.  B.Kennedy,  Nev  ...........................................  132 

OAKS  OF  THE  PACIFIC  SLOPE,  J.  G.  Lemmon  ..............................  151 

ROSE  GROWING  IN  OREGON,  Frederick  V.  Holman  ........................  170 


304664 


COMMITTEE   OF   ARRANGEMENTS 

PROF.  EMORY  E.  SMITH,  Chairman 
MRS.  AUSTIN  SPERRY,  Recording  Secretary 
MRS.  ORVILLE  D.  BALDWIN,  Corresponding  Secretary 
PROF.  E.  J.  WICKSON  MR.  JOHN  MCLAREN 

MRS.  L.  O.  HODGKINS 


COMMITTEE  ON   ENTERTAINMENT 

MRS.  W.  H.  WIESTER  MR.  EMSMA  SHAFTER  HOWARD 

MRS.  J.  R.  MARTIN  MRS.  RICHARD  SPRECKELS 

MRS.  M.  GROTHWELL  MRS.  A.  M.  SIMPSON 

Miss  GEORGIA  BARKER  MRS.  ELLA  C.  ROECKEL 


GENERAL   COMMITTEE 

DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL,  Portland,  Or.      MR.  EDW.  STURTEVANT, 
PROF.  E.  R.  LAKE,        Corvallis,  Or.  Station  E.,  Los  Angeles 

DR.  P.  B.  KENNEDY,        Reno,  Nev.      MR.  LESTER  L.  MORSE,     Santa  Clara 
PROF.  J.  A.  BALMER,  MRS.  THEO.  B.  SHEPHERD,    Ventura 

Pullman,  Wash.      PROF.  WM.  R.  DUDLEY, 
PROF.  A.  J.  MCCLATCHIE,  Stanford  University 

Phoenix,  Ariz.      PROF.  CHAS.  H.  SHINN 

MR.  LUTHER  BURBANK,  University  of  California 

Santa  Rosa,  Cal.      Miss  KATE  O.  SESSIONS,      San  Diego 

(-APT.  F.  EDW.  GRAY,         Alhambra     MR.  JOHN  ROCK,  Niles 

MR.  SIDNEY  CLACK,  Menlo  Park 

Presidents  and  Secretaries  of  all  Pacific 

States  Horticultural  Societies. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE   CONGRESS 

President,  EMORY  E.  SMITH,  Palo  Alto,  Cal. 

First  Vice-President,  FREDERICK  V.  HOLMAN,  Portland,  Or. 
Second  Vice-President,  P.  B.  KENNEDY,  RENO,  Nev. 

Third  Vice-President,  A.  CAMPBELL  JOHNSTON,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 
Secretary,  MRS.  AUSTIN  SPERRY,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 
Assistant  Secretary,  MRS.  O.  D.  BALDWIN,  S.  F.,  Cal. 


COMMITTEE   ON   RESOLUTIONS 

J.  G.  LEMMON 
JOHANNES  REIMERS 
A.  CAMPBELL  JOHNSTON 


COMMITTEE   ON   PUBLICATIONS 

EMORY  E.  SMITH  MRS.  AUSTIN  SPERRY 

FREDERICK  V.  HOLMAN  MRS.  O.  D.  BALDWIN 


COMMITTEE   ON   NOMENCLATURE 

A  Botanist  of  the  University  of  California. 

PROF.  WM.  R.  DUDLEY,  Stanford  University. 

Miss  ALICE  EASTWOOD,  California  Academy  of  Sciences. 
PROF.  J.  G.  LEMMON,  Lemmon  Herbarium,  Oakland. 


REPORT   OF   COMMITTEE   ON   RESOLUTIONS. 

AS   ADOPTED. 

Resolved,  That  the  members,  patrons,  and  friends  of  the  Pacific 
States  Floral  Congress,  heartily  appreciate  the  able  and  pleasing  man- 
ner in  which  the  president,  Prof.  Emory  E.  Smith,  has  conducted  the 
Congress;  the  faithfulness  of  the  recording  secretary,  Mrs,  Austin 
Hperry;  and  the  prompt  and  efficient  work  of  the  other  officers. 

Resolved,  That  the  Congress  extends  its  thanks  to  the  following  vol- 
tmteer  artists  for  the  delightful  music  rendered:  Miss  Cecilia  Zimmon, 
Miss  Emma  De  Boome,  Madame  Tojetti,  Signor  Eiccardo,  and  Mr.  Fred 
Mauer. 

Resolved,  That  a  vote  of  thanks  be  extended  to  the  trustees  of  the 
Academy  of  Sciences  for  the  use  of  their  hall  for  the  purposes  of  the 


Resolved,  That  the  members  of  the  Congress  will  use  their  influence 
to  awaken  and  encourage  the  love  of  wild  flowers  by  the  chldren,  so 
that  their  wanton  destruction  may  be  prevented. 

Resolved,  That  the  Congress  endorses  the  reservation  of  representa- 
tive forest  areas  of  the  Pacific  Coast  for  the  preservation  of  our  cone- 
bearing  trees,  notably  the  Giant  Sequoias,  and  that  the  United  States 
Government  is  urged  to  inaugurate  a  systematic  policy  in  replanting 
the  forests  of  southern  California,  and  for  the  prohibition  of  the  grazing 
of  sheep  and  cattle  in  the  southern  California  forest  districts. 

Resolved,  That  the  Congress  extend  felicitations  to  Mrs.  L.  0.  Hodg- 
kins,  the  "mother  of  the  State  Floral  Society,"  for  her  part  in  its  early 
organization,  and  hopes  that  she  will  long  be  permitted  to  assist  in  its 
good  work. 

Resolved,  further,  That  the  local  members  are  especially  grateful  to 
those  who  have  come  long  distances,  and  have  contributed  so  materially 
to  the  interests  of  the  Congress. 

(Signed) 

J.  G.  LEMMON, 
JOHANNES  REIMERS, 
A.  CAMPBELL  JOHNSTON. 


A   FLOWER   MESSAGE. 

BY     BEEN"     E.     KEXFORD. 
1. 

To-day  I  turned  a  page  in  nature's  book, 

And  read  a  poem  there, 
Set  to  the  music  of  the  breeze  and  brook, 

And  sounds  of  earth  and  air, 
A  poem  fresh  from  the  great  Author's  hand, 

Sweet  with  the  thought  of  God, 
That  sent  its  fragrant  meaning  through  the  land 

From  a  leaf-littered  sod. 

2. 
I  knew  the  arbutus  was  all  in  bloom 

Before  I  saw  its  face, 
For  every  wind  was  sweet  with  its  perfume 

Far  'round  its  hiding-place. 
I  knelt  beneath  the  pines,  and  brushed  away 

The  leaves  that  fell  in  fall, 
And,  lo,  the  rosy  blossoms  of  the  May, 

With  witchery  in  them  all ! 

3. 
And  from  their  home  beneath  Wisconsin  pines 

I  send  to  you,  to-day, 
These  arbutus  flowers,  and  in  their  fragrant  lines 

Read  what  I  fain  would  say; 
They  .bear  the  east's  warm  greeting  to  the  west, 

Wordless,   but  eloquent. 
And  those  among  you  who  love  flowers  best 

Will  tell  you  what  is  meant. 

4. 
0  land  of  sunshine  under  skies  so  fair 

As  those  of  Italy! 
You  have  your  blossoms  while  our  hills  are  bare, 

But  we,  in  dreams,  can  see 
Your  roses  red  with  June  in  winter  days, 

And  sweet  with  myrrh  and  musk, 
And  hear  the  lark's  ecstatic  roundelays 

Through  the  long,  tropic  dusk. 


PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGKESS. 
5. 

The  wind  that  blows  through  winter  dreams  has  brought 

The  incense  of  the  pines, 
That  tower  on  the  peaks  whose  crests  have  caught 

A  radiance  half  divine 
From  suns  that  sink  beneath  a  sea  that  seems 

Like  an  inverted  sky. 
Ah,  I  have  seen  it  all  in  pleasant  dreams, 

To  come  true — by  and  by ! 


And  odors  from  your  orange  groves  have  blown 

Across  long  leagues  of  space. 
And  I,  who  dreamed,  have  gathered  fruitage  grown 

In  Eden's  garden-place. 
The  golden  apples  of  Hesperides 

Have  fallen  at  my  feet; 
Our  hillsides  sloping  towards  the  summer  seas. 

Ah,  but  these  dreams  were  sweet ! 


Then,  from  my  dreaming  I  would  wake  to  hear 

The  stormy  north  wind  blow, 
And  look  upon  a  world  wrapped  far  and  near 

In  winding-sheet  of  snow. 
But  in  my  windows,  flowers  in  bravest  bloom 

Held  winter's  wolves  at  bay, 
And  kept  the  summer  prisoner  in  the  room 

Through  all  the  icy  day. 


8. 

You  may  not  hear  my  voice  or  see  my  face 

At  your  fair  feast  of  flowers, 
But  you  may  feel  my  presence  in  the  place, 

All  the  delightful  hours. 
And  as  you  read  the  messages  from  God, 

Sent  earthward  in  the  rose, 
And  all  dear  flowers  that  spring  from  earth's  green  sod, 

Be  sure  the  absent  knows. 


A    FLOWER    MESSAGE.  ,9 

9. 

So  take  the  greeting  that  to-day  I  send, 

A  little  flower  of  thought; 
Be  it  a  message  sent  from  friend  to  friend 

With  loving  meaning  fraught. 
And  though  we  know  each  other  but  in  name, 

And  stranger  faces  ours, 
Each  can  with  each  a  common  kinship  claim, 

Because  we  love  the  flowers. 
Shiocton,  Wis. 


WALKING  WITH  NATUKE: 

BY   GEO.    W.    DUNN.* 

A  walk  through  the  woods  in  September 

Is  bliss.     I  can  never  define 
The  red  leaves  that  glow  like  an  ember, 

Make  gorgeous  the  tree  and  the  vine. 
With  earth  and  the  sky  for  my  teacher, 

I  worship  with  sun  and  with  cloud, 
Forgetting  the  priest  and  the  preacher, 

For  now  I  am  walking  with  God. 

The  hills  are  as  hymns  of  high  pleasure; 

The  valleys,  as  rosaried  rhyme; 
And,  set  to  the  loftiest  measure, 

The  forest  an  anthem  sublime. 
No  more  on  man's  teaching  dependent, 

From  cant  and  from  creed  I  am  free; 
And  beauty  and  truth  are  transcendent, 

For  God  is  now  walking  with  me. 


*Mr.  Dunn  has  nearly  all  of  his  life  been  a  collector  of  forest  seeds,  plants,  and 
bulbs,  and  is  still,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven,  active  in  his  chosen  pursuit,  clear-eyed, 
and  as  straight  as  an  arrow.  Ho  loves  nature  as  only  a  man  can  who  has  spent  his  life 
in  the  solitudes. 


PACIFIC   STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 


HOW  TO  PRODUCE  NEW  FLOWERS. 

BY  LUTHER  BURBANK. 

Who  does  not  love  flowers  ?  For  whom  will  not  flowers  make  more 
sunshine  ?  Flowers  from  the  hands  of  a  loved  one,— what  sweeter,  sun- 
nier gift  can  be  thought  of  ?  Flowers  speak  to  us  of  poetry,  music,  life, 
and  love.  Flowers  always  make  people  better,  happier,  and  more  hope- 
ful. They  are  sunshine,  food,  and  medicine  to  the  soul,  and  can  never 
be  taken  in  overdoses. 

In  this  paper  I  shall  not  try  to  burden  you  with  any  dry,  scientific 
facts,  and  if  any  of  them  should  appear,  you  may  rest  assured  that  it 
is  because,  in  the  words  of  Mark  Twain,  "they  simply  stew  out  of  me 
unconsciously."  I  wish  to  tell  you  simply  just  how  to  proceed  in  the 
production  of  new  types  of  flowers  and  the  improvement  of  the  older 
and  well-known  ones.  The  chief  work  of  the  botanists  of  yesterday  was 
the  study  and  classification  of  dried,  shriveled  plant  mummies,  whose 
souls  had  fled,  rather  than  the  living,  plastic  forms.  They  thought  their 
classified  species  were  more  fixed  and  unchangeable  than  anything  in 
heaven  or  earth  that  we  can  now  imagine.  We  have  learned  that  they 
are  as  plastic  in  our  hands  as  clay  in  the  hands  of  the  potter,  or  color 
on  the  artist's  canvas,  and  can  readily  be  moulded  into  more  beautiful 
forms  and  colors  than  any  painter  or  sculptor  can  ever  hope  to  bring 
forth.  There  is  not  one  weed  or  flower,  wild  or  domesticated,  which 
will  not,  sooner  or  later,  respond  liberally  to  good  cultivation  and  per- 
sistent selection.  The  changes  which  can  be  wrought  with  the  more 
plastic  forms  are  simply  marvelous,  and  only  those  who  have  seen 
this  regeneration  transpiring  before  their  very  eyes  can  ever  be  fully 
convinced. 

It  takes  time,  skill,  and  patience,  of  course.  What  valuable  work  is 
accomplished  otherwise?  These  profound  changes  in  plants  go  on 
quietly,  as  do  all  the  great,  beneficent,  upbuilding  forces  of  nature. 
No  powder  is  burned,  no  big  guns  brought  forth,  no  martial  music 
is  heard,  for  they  are  destroyers,  not  producers.  The  beneficent  forces 
of  nature  are  like  truth  itself,  quiet,  but  persistent  and  all-powerful. 

What  occupation  can  be  more  delightful  than  adopting  the  most 
promising  individual  from  among  a  race  of  vile,  neglected  orphan  weeds 
with  settled  hoodlum  tendencies,  downtrodden  and  despised  by  all,  and 
gradually  lifting  it  by  breeding  and  education  to  a  higher  sphere;  to 
3e  it  gradually  change  its  sprawling  habits,  its  coarse,  ill-smelling  foli- 
age its  insignificant  blossoms  of  dull  color,  to  an  upright  plant  with 
handsome,  glossy,  fragrant  leaves,  blossoms  of  every  hue,  and  with  a 
fragrance  as  pure  and  lasting  as  could  be  desired?  In  the  more  p— 


HOW   TO   PRODUCE   NEW   FLOWERS.  11 

found  study  of  the  life  and  habits  of  plants,  both  domesticated  and  wild, 
we  are  surprised  to  see  how  much  they  are  like  children.  Study  their 
wants;  help  them  to  what  they  need;  be  endlessly  patient;  be  honest  with 
them,  carefully  correcting  each  fault  as  it  appears,  and  in  due  time  they 
will  reward  you  bountifully  for  every  care  and  attention,  and  make  your 
heart  glad  in  observing  the  results  of  your  work.  Weeds  are  weeds  be- 
cause they  are  jostled,  crowded,  cropped,  and  trampled  upon,  scorched  by 
fierce  heat,  starved,  or  perhaps  suffering  with  cold,  wet  feet,  tormented 
by  insect  pests,  or  by  lack  of  nourishing  food  and  sunshine.  Most 
of  them  have  no  opportunity  for  blossoming  out  in  luxurious  beauty 
and  abundance.  A  few  are  so  fixed  in  their  habits  that  it  is  better  to 
select  an  individual  for  adoption  and  improvement  from  a  race  which 
is  more  pliable.  This  stability  of  character  can  not  often  be  known 
except  by  careful  trial,  therefore  members  from  several  races  at  the  sanu- 
time  may  be  selected  with  advantage;  the  most  pliable  and  easily  edu- 
cated ones  will  soon  make  the  fact  manifest  by  showing  a  tendency  to 
"'break"  or  vary  slightly,  or  perhaps  profoundly,  from  the  wild  state. 
Any  variation  should  be  at  once  seized  upon,  and  numerous  seedlings 
.raised  from  this  individual.  In  the  next  generation  one  or  several,  even 
more,  marked  variations  will  be  almost  certain  to  appear,  for  when  a 
plant  once  wakes  up  to  the  new  influences  brought  to  bear  upon  it,  the 
road  is  opened  for  endless  improvement  in  all  directions,  and  the  operator 
finds  himself  with  a  wealth  of  new  forms  which  is  almost  as  discourag- 
ing to  select  from  as  in  the  first  place  it  was  to  induce  the  plant  to  vary 
in  the  least,  and  now  comes  the  point  where  the  skill  of  the  originator 
is  put  to  the  severest  test.  When  a  wild  plant  has  been  induced  to 
change  its  old  habits,  fixed  by  ages  of  uniform  environment,  it  needs 
some  one  with  a  steady  hand  at  the  helm  to  guide  its  bark  into  a  new 
and  more  prosperous  port  and  into  a  condition  of  refinement  and  beauty 
sufficient  to  adorn  any  occasion. 

Besides  selection,  another  important  factor  in  the  production  of  new 
flowers  is  in  the  amalgamation  of  the  best  qualities  of  two  or  more 
species  or  varieties  by  crossing,  but  crossing  quite  as  often  produces 
plants  with  all  the  faults  of  both  parents  as  all  their  virtues.  Its 
chief  value  is  in  breaking  up  the  fixed  character  of  any  type.  Then,  by 
careful  selection  of  the  best  through  several  generations,  more  advance- 
ment may  often  be  made  in  a  few  years  than  could  be  made  in  a  century 
if  the  fixed  type  had  not  been  broken  up  by  this  crossing  of  types  or 
species.  But  crossing  is  of  little  use  unless  followed  by  very  careful 
selections  of  the  best,  and  not  only  the  best,  but  a  certain  type  of  the 
best  should  be  kept  in  view,  and  all  plants  which  do  not  closely  follow 
the  chosen  type  should  be  weeded  out  as  soon  as  their  vagrant  character 
appears ;  thus  in  annuals  fixed  types  may  be  produced,  but  in  perennials, 


12  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

when  a  splendid  type  appears,  it  can  generally  be  multiplied  to  any 
extent  by  budding,  grafting,  or  from  cuttings,  thus  avoiding  the  care 
and  time  required  in  making  its  character  permanent,  as  with  annuals. 
We  say  to  our  own  Miss  Golden  Cup,  or  Miss  Eschscholtzia,  as  the  bon-ton 
call  her,  "This  beautiful  dress  of  bright  golden  hue  which  you  have 
always  worn  on  all  occasions  is  very  becoming  to  you,  and  exceedingly 
appropriate  to  this  land  of  perpetual,  golden  sunshine;  but  Miss  Queen 
Golden  Cup,  if  you  will  sometimes  adorn  yourself  with  a  dress  of  white, 
pale  cream,  pink,  or  crimson,  we  could  love  you  still  better  than  we  do." 
Now  Miss  Eschscholtzia,  though  having  her  family  tastes  and  char- 
acteristics very  thoroughly  fixed,  still  belongs  to  the  great  Papaver  race, 
which  has  often  shown  itself  willing  to  adapt  itself  to  the  discipline  of 
new  conditions,  even  at  first  distasteful  in  the  extreme. 

So,  after  taking  Miss  Golden  Cup  into  our  gardens  and  constantly 
making  these  suggestions  to  her,  she  hesitatingly  consents  to  don  a  dress 
a  shade  lighter  in  color,  and  then  lighter  still,  until  now  we  have  her, 
not  only  in  dresses  of  gold,  but  in  deepest  orange,  light  and  dark  shades 
of  cream,  purest  snowy  white,  or  all  these  combined,  and  by  constant 
selection  and  various  educational  influences  in  this  line  she  will  adorn 
herself  in  a  dress  of  almost  any  color  which  may  be  desirable,  and  at  the 
same  time  seems  to  take  the  greatest  pleasure  in  improving  herself  in 
every  grace  of  form  and  feature. 

We  often  suddenly  meet  Mr.  Cactus  or  Mr.  Thistle,  and  sometimes 
almost  lose  our  temper  on  account  of  their  irascible  tendencies  and 
punctilious  reception,  but  after  regaining  our  composure  we  say:  "Mr. 
Thornicuss!  ah,  pardon  me,  Mr.  Thistle!  we  can  never  enjoy  your 
company  while  you -wear  all  those  tacks,  pins,  and  needles;  you  would 
look  much  better  if  you  would  drop  those  ugly  thorns;  they  cost  you 
too  much  to  produce  and  stick  all  over  yourself,  peaked  end  out,  and  no 
doubt  they  make  you  almost  as  unhappy  as  they  do  your  neighbors.  At 
heart  you  are  a  splendid  fellow ;  all  the  slugs,  bugs,  birds,  and  animals 
like  you;  you  are  good  enough  to  eat.  Yes,  I  know  you  are  obliged 
to  wear  those  pins,  tacks,  needles,  fish-hooks,  and  things  all  over  your 
clothes  from  head  to  foot,  just  because  you  have  such  a  good,  tender, 
juicy  heart,  which  all  the  two,  four,  and  six-footed  marauders  like." 
Now,  if  we  invite  Mr.  Thistle  into  our  gardens,  and  patiently  and 
earnestly  teach  and  thoroughly  convince  him  that  all  the  marauding 
animals  shall  be  kept  out,  it  will  not  be  very  long  before  some  member 
of  his  tribe  will  see  fit  to  partially  discard  some  of  these  exasperating 
pins  and  needles,  and  put  on  a  more  civilized  suit  of  clothes,  and  by 
further  careful  selections  from  this  one  varying  individual  others  are 
produced  which  are  absolutely  spineless,  to  remain  so  as  long  as  the 
marauding  animals  do  not  disturb  them,  often  becoming  useful  mem- 


HOW   TO   PRODUCE   NEW   FLO  AVERS.  13 

bers  of  our  parks  and  gardens.  It  is  a  great  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
plant  to  produce  all  these  spines,  and  when  this  effort  is  made  unneces- 
sary, the  plant  will  at  once  become  more  docile  and  pliable,  and  can  be 
easily  led  into  almost  any  useful  occupation  in  which  plants  are  employed. 

Koses,  blackberries,  raspberries,  and  gooseberries  can  also  be  made  as 
perfectly  thornless  as  strawberries  or  apples  are  by  the  same  education  and 
individual  selection:  At  present,  however,  the  authors  of  new  fruits  and 
flowers  are  fully  employed  in  improving  the  size,  abundance,  and  per- 
fection of  form,  color,  and  fragrance  in  flowers,  and  the  abundance  and 
lusciousness  of  fruits;  otherwise,  the  thorns  would  have  been  eliminated 
long  ago. 

Everything  which  we  now  have  in  fruits,  flowers,  vegetables,  or  grains 
has  been  brought  to  its  present  state  of  perfection  by  the  same  educa- 
tion and  selection,  which  is  only  a  turning  of  the  forces  of  nature  into 
new  channels  for  the  welfare  of  mankind.  By  the  patient  application 
of  these  educative  influences,  the  wheat,  corn,  rice,  and  other  plants  which 
were  once  wild  grasses,  have  been  induced  to  produce  enormous  quanti- 
ties of  nutritious  eggs,  which,  when  divested  of  their  innutritions  shells 
or  coverings,  furnish  food  for  all  the  earth.  Our  fruits  and  flowers 
have  all  traveled  the  same  road,  ever  upward  and  onward  under  the  ten- 
der care  of  the  horticultural  missionaries  of  the  past  (forerunners  of 
civilization),  who  really  knew  but  very  little  of  the  possibilities  of  plant 
life  or  of  the  transcendent  forces  which  nature  has  placed  in  the  keeping 
of  plants  for  the  growth  and  uplifting  of  humanity.  Plant  life  is  so 
common  all  about  us  that  we  seldom  stop  to  think  that  almost  every 
good  we  have  on' earth  is  produced  by  their  silent  but  all-powerful  forces. 

Only  lately  have  we  learned  how  readily  we  can  train,  combine,  and 
guide  these  forces  into  endless  useful  and  beautiful  forms,  which  even 
the  imagination  can  not  conceive.  The  careful  investigator  along  these 
lines  is  often  amazed  at  the  wealth  of  new  forms,  new  qualities,  and  new 
colors  of  fruits  and  flowers  which  nature  lavishly  showers  upon  him, 
seemingly  almost  by  the  asking  when  once  we  know  the  way  and  apply 
ourselves  to  it.  It  takes,  however,  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  affinities 
of  plants,  a  keen  perception  of  the  useful  forms  when  produced,  a  sweet 
and  abiding  patience  which  knows  no  end,  and,  to  carry  on  extensively, 
the  purse  of  a  multi-millionaire,  but  any  one  can  take  in  hand  any  one 
plant,  and  in  a  few  years  produce  wonders  in  variation  and  improve- 
ment, and  at  the  same  time  be  gaining  patience,  knowledge,  health, 
happiness,  and  personal  discipline,  all  of  which  are  far  above  price.  And 
if  a  new  and  beautiful  flower  or  fruit  is  produced  which  all  the  world 
wants,  what  a  happiness  has  been  secured,  not  only  for  the  author,  but 
an  added  legacy  of  sunshine  and  health  for  all  the  world  for  all  time 
to  come!  Are  not  these  inducements  enough  to  make  one  wish  to  help 


j4  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

on  this  great  work  of  world-wide  import,  impelling  upward  not  only 
the  destinies  of  tribes  and  nations,  but  the  broader  destinies  of  all 
mankind  ? 

Santa  Rosa,  Gal. 


WATEK  GARDENING  IN  CALIFO-RNIA. 

BY    EDMUND    D.    STURTEVANT. 

If  the  citizens  of  our  "Golden  State"  who  are  to  the  manor  born 
should  pay  their  first  visit  to  the  Atlantic  Coast  region  during  midsum- 
mer, they  might,  perchance,  from  a  car  window  or  during  a  ramble  in 
the  wildwoods,  come  upon  a  sight  which  would  be  a  mystery  to  them. 
The  sheet  of  water  lying .  before  them  in  the  sunshine  is  apparently 
frozen  over,  and  a  thin  covering  of  snow  has  fallen  upon  its  glassy  sur- 
face. Upon  closer  inspection,  the  seeming  snowflakes  prove  to  be  the 
fresh  and  fragrant  blossoms  of  the  native  white  water  lily,  Nymphsea 
odorata,  the  queen  of  North  American  wild  flowers.  How  delightful 
is  the  memory  of  scenes  like  this,  to  those  whose  early  homes  lie  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  when,  rowing  our  boat  through 
acres  of  pond  lilies,  we  gathered  them  by  the  armful !  Kissed  by  the 
morning  sun — 

The  lilies  open.     Gleaming  white, 
Their  fluted  cups  like  onyx  shine; 

And,  golden-hearted  in  the  light, 
They  hold  the  summer's  rarest  wine. 

Having  first  formed  the  acquaintance  of  this  beautiful  native  flower, 
how  great  is  the  wonder  and  joy  of  the  enthusiast  to  find  that  there  have 
been  gathered  from  many  climes  and  continents  water  lilies  of  almost 
every  shade  and  color — red,  pink,  purple,  blue,  and  yellow.  Then,  there 
is  the  monster-leaved  Victoria  regia,  the  venerable  Egyptian  lotus,  and 
a  great  number  of  interesting,  though  less  important,  aquatic  plants, 
all  of  which  tend  to  give  the  water  garden  almost  as  great  a  variety 
as  the  ordinary  flower  garden.  Twenty-five  years  ago,  when  the  writer 
first  began  to  make  a  specialty  of  growing  water  lilies,  scarcely  more 
than  a  half  dozen  varieties  were  in  cultivation.  Three  or  four  tropical 
species  were  grown  under  glass;  our  own  wild  lily  was  cultivated  here 
and  there,  and  in  Europe  their  native  species  was  found  in  gardens. 
The  discovery  of  the  fact  that  the  tropical  kinds  could  be  grown  in  the 
open  air  in  summer  in  the  eastern  states,  and  that  exotic  species  of  the 
lotus  or  Nelumbium  were  hardy  in  temperate  latitudes,  gave  a  great 
impetus  to  water  gardening.  Perhaps  you  will  pardon  me  if  I  quote  a 
few  sentences  which  I  wrote  just  twenty  years  ago-— 


WATER     GARDENING     IN     CALIFORNIA.  15 

"In  a  late  number  of  Harper's  Magazine,  one  of  our  ablest  horti- 
cultural writers  discoursed  very  pleasantly  upon  the  'Possibilities  of 
Horticulture.'  We  feel  confident  that  if  this  writer  could  have  seen 
our  collection  of  aquatic  plants  in  full  bloom,  he  would  have  added  to 
his  list  of  possibilities  the  water  garden,  or  the  garden  of  aquatic  plants. 
We  confess  to  an  enthusiasm  in  this  direction,  and  predict  that  at  no 
distant  day  this  branch  of  gardening  will  receive  a  large  share  of  atten- 
tion." 

This  prophecy  is  surely  now  fulfilled.  Xot  only  are  these  plants 
found  in  a  multitude  of  private  gardens,  but  every  public  park  of 
importance  and  every  botanical  garden  in  the  United  States  is  growing 
a  full  collection.  They  are  universally  admitted  to  form  one  of  their 
most  attractive  features.  Hybridists,  both  in  Europe  and  America, 
have  been,  during  all  these  years,  exercising  an  almost  magical  skill,  and 
have  produced  varieties  with  colors  unknown  twenty-five  years  ago. 
Especially  is  this  true  in  the  hardy  class,  where  various  shades  of  bril- 
liant red  and  orange  red  are  now  found. 

It 'might  seem,  at  first  thought,  that  California,  being  such  a  dry 
country,  the  conditions  are  not  favorable  for  the  culture  of  water  plants. 
But  our  city  gardens  are  supplied  with  water  in  the  same  manner  as  in 
the  east.  In  the  country,  the  windmill  is  ever  the  ready  servant;  and 
where  irrigation  is  practised,  nothing  could  be  more  simple  than  to  turn 
the  stream  aside  to  supply  the  water  garden.  Natural  ponds  and  lakes 
are  rare,  but  a  few  such  exist,  and  I  believe  that  they  are  suitable  for 
the  naturalization  of  many  hardy  water  lilies  and  the  famous  Egyptian 
lotus. 

LILY     PONDS. 

The  simplest  arrangement  for  growing  water  plants  is  a  collection 
of  large  tubs  of  half  hogsheads,  located  in  a  sunny  position  and  partly 
fiJJed  with  soil.  A  much  better  plan  is  to  make  a  pool  by  excavating  the 
ground  two  or  three  feet.  The  walls  should  be  made  of  brick,  stone,  or 
concrete,  and  the  bottom  covered  with  concrete,  using  cement  for  all 
the  work.  There  should  also  be  a  waste-pipe  at  the  bottom  with  a 
stand-pipe  for  overflow.  In  a  basin  eight  or  ten  feet  across  quite  a 
variety  of  plants  may  be  grown,  using  wooden  boxes  or  shallow  tubs 
to  hold  the  soil. 

Those  having  fountain  basins  in  their  grounds  can  utilize1  them  in 
the  same  manner.  It  is  not  necessary  that  there  should  be  a  continuous 
flow  of  water,  but  during  the  growing  season  enough  should  run  in  each 
day  to  prevent  stagnation  and  to  keep  the  plants  in  health. 

While  most  water  lilies  will  flower  freely  in  contracted  quarters, 
they  will  attain  greater  perfection,  with  much  larger  flowers,  if  they 
have  abundance  of  room  both  for  the  roots  and  the  leaves.  Basins 


PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 
lo 


SOIL. 


The  majority  of  water  plants  are  gross  feeders,  and  it  is  well-nigh 
i^ble  to  make  the  soil  too  rich  for  them      It  is  not  necessary  to 
,o  to  a  swamp  or  a  natural  pond  to  obtain  what  is  suitable. 
£    prepared  upon  your  own  premises.     Any  soil  which  will  grow  good 
vegetables  will,  if  properly  enriched,  grow  aquatics.     A  compost  con- 
Stg  of  two-thirds  good    loam  and    one-third    thoroughly    decayed 
manure,  is  what  we  recommend.     If  you  have  a  black,  friable  loam 
which  is  intermediate  between  adobe  and  sandy  loam,  it  would  be  excel 
lent  for  the  purpose. 

COMPARATIVE     HARDINESS. 

In  the  eastern  states  aquatics  are  classified  as  tender  and  hardy. 
There  the  tender  kinds  are,  so  to  speak,  bedded  out  during  summer  and 
removed  to  a  greenhouse  in  autumn.  There  are  some  localities  in  Cali- 
fornia so  highly  favored  in  the  matter  of  freedom  from  frost  that  the 
tomato  plant  and  other  tender  vegetables  may  be  successfully  grown 
during  winter.  In  such  places  tropical  aquatics  may  be  left  out  the 
entire  year. 

At  the  water  lily  nursery  in  the  Cahuenga  Valley,  near  Los  Angeles, 
nearly  every  variety  of  importance  is  grown.  For  those  portions  of  the 
state  where  a  lower  temperature  prevails  during  winter,  the  better  plan 
would  be  to  place  the  roots  in  warmer  quarters  after  the  blooming  sea- 
son is  past.  In  various  localities  in  California  there  are  found  springs 
of  warm  or  hot  water.  Water  from  these,  if  not  containing  objection- 
able mineral  qualities,  may  be  utilized  for  feeding-ponds  devoted  espe- 
cially to  tropical  water  lilies,  where  they  will  nourish  in  great  perfec- 
tion. A  notable  example  of  success  in  this  line  is  found  in  the  grounds 
of  Josiah  W.  Stanford,  Esq.,  at  Warm  Springs,  Alameda  County, 
where  these  varieties  bloom  during  the  entire  year. 

In  regard  to  the  hardy  varieties,  I  would  say  that  there  can  be  no 
doubt  as  to  their  adaptability  for  cultivation  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  state.  In  this  class  are  found  many  garden  hybrids 
of  European  and  American  origin,  of  most  charming  colors,  and  in 
southern  California  producing  flowers  from  March  until  the  middle 
of  November.  For  an  extended  list  of  varieties,  you  are  referred  to  the 
catalogues  of  dealers  who  make  a  specialty  of  these  plants.  I  will  give 
a  selection  of  only  a  few  standard  sorts,  with  some  notes  on  their 
requirements. 


WATER     GARDENING     IN     CALIFORNIA.  17 

HARDY     WATER     LILIES. 

Nymphaea  odorata,  the  common  wild  variety  of  the  east,  is  too  well 
known  to  need  description.  Nymphaea  odorata  Caroliniana  is  a  variety 
producing  flowers  of  a  delicate  flesh  color  tinted  with  salmon.  They 
are  equally  as  fragrant  as  the  white,  and  the  plant  blooms  for  a  longer 
time. 

Nymphaea  Brakeleyi  Rosea. — This  is  a  hybrid  from  the  best  form 
of  X.  tuberosa  crossed  with  N.  odorata  rosea.  It  originated  from  plants 
grown  by  the  late  Kev.  John  H.  Brakely,  D.  D.,  of  Bordentown,  N.  J., 
and  is  named  in  his  honor.  It  is  a  very  vigorous  grower,  increasing 
rapidly  by  branches  from  the  main  rhizome.  The  original  plant  pro- 
duced leaves  sixteen  inches  in  diameter  and  flowers  eight  inches  across. 
The  latter  are  of  a  beautiful  shade  of  pink,  and  possess  the  richest  and 
most  powerful  fragrance  of  all  hardy  varieties,  surpassing  even  N.  odor- 
ata in  this  respect.  The  plant  flourishes  in  any  rich  soil,  and  is  desirable 
for  the  water  garden,  or  for  deep  water  in  natural  ponds. 

Nymphaea  Candidissima  is  a  large-flowered  form  of  the  native  water 
lily  of  England.  Its  waxy  white  flowers,  six  inches  across,  are  of 
exquisite  form,  and  are  freely  produced  both  early  and  late. 

Nymphaea  Marliacea  Carnea  is  a  vigorous  variety ;  flowers,  soft  flesh 
pink. 

Nymphaea  Marliacea  rosea  bears  large  fragrant  flowers  of  a  rich, 
deep  pink  color,  and  is  one  of  the  most  desirable  varieties. 

Nymphaea  Marliacea  Chromatella. — A  variety  of  free  growth  and 
easy  culture,  blooming  from  early  spring  till  late  autumn.  Flowers 
lemon-yellow,  with  bright  orange  stamens.  Leave  blotched  with  brown. 

Nymphaea  Robinsoni. — The  large  floating  flowers  of  this  French 
hybrid  are  of  the  most  brilliant  orange-red  color,  and  quite  as  showy 
as  the  tropical  varieties. 

Nymphaea  Aurora. — In  their  early  stages,  the  flowers  of  this  remark- 
able variety  are  of  a  beautiful  copper-yellow  color,  similar  to  the  rose 
"Beauty  of  Glazcnwood,"  and  later  they  change  to  deep  orange-red. 

Nymphaea  Pygmaea. — From  Siberia  and  China.  Tins  is  the  small- 
est-flowered species  in  cultivation,  with  white  lemon-scented  blossoms 
about  the  size  of  a  silver  half-dollar. 

THE    LOTUS. 

I  now  come  to  the  lotus,  botanically  known  as  Nelumbium,  a  plant 
of  such  remarkable  interest  and  beauty  that  it  must  be  given  more  thf 
a  passing  word.  Writers  who  have  made  its  history  a  study  state  that 
it  no  longer  grows  wild  in  the  Nile,  and  perhaps  was  not  a  native  of 
Egypt.  It  seems  to  have  been  revered  in  India  as  well  as  Egypt,  from 
the  dawn  of  history;  and  it  is  not  impossible  that  it  traveled  from  the 


18 


PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 


former  country,  where  we  know  it  is  indigenous,  to  the  banks  of  the 
Nile  at  a  time  so  remote  that  even  the  Egyptians  of  the  earliest  historic 
dynasties  may  have  believed  in  its  local  origin.  In  these  later  days  it 
has  proved  itself  to  be  equally  at  home  on  the  western  continent.  If 
some  morning  in  the  month  of  August  you  could  pay  a  visit  to  a  cer- 
tain lakelet  in  New  Jersey,  planted  by  the  writer,  you  might  behold  a 
thicket  of  green  umbrella-like  lotus  leaves  of  an  acre  in  extent.  Inter- 
spersed among  them  would  be  many  hundreds  of  large,  rosy  blossoms 
standing  above  the  leaves,  and  from  three  to  six  feet  above  the  water. 
The  lotus  has  been  naturalized  in  California,  one  instance  being  in  East 
Lake  Park,  Los  Angeles.  As  to  its  culture,  it  prefers  a  heavy  soil  well 
enriched.  It  may  be  grown  in  a  large,  shallow  wooden  box  submerge:'! 
in  a  fountain;  or  a  more  liberal  space  may  be  given  to  it,  in  propor- 
tion to  the  size  of  your  basin  or  pond.  The  roots  are  tuberous,  and 
shaped  like  bananas.  If  it  is  desired  to  transplant  them  it  should  not 
be  done  until  the  growing  season  arrives.  There  are  eight  or  ten 
varieties  in  cultivation  here. 

The  Egyptian  lotus  has  rosy  petals,  shaded  to  white  at  the  base. 

Nelunibium  album  striatum  has  very  large  white  flowers,  with  a  few 
flashes  of  crimson. 

Nelunibium  roscum  plenum  is  deep  rose  red,  full  and  double,  like  a 
peony  or  the  rose  Paul  Neyron. 

Nelunibium  album  plenissimum  has  pure  white  flowers  with  one 
hundred  petals. 

All  varieties  are  hardy  in  the  United  States. 

TROPICAL    WATER   LILIES. 

Nymphaea  Devoniensis  has  flowers  of  a  bright  rose-red  color.  If 
grown  in  a  pot  they  will  be  four  or  five  inches  across.  If  treated 
something  like  the  Victoria  regia,  that  is,  with  a  large  bed  of  rich 
soil  and  a  high  temperature,  a  single  plant  has  been  known  to  cover 
a  pond  twenty  feet  across,  bearing  leaves  two  feet  in  diameter  and  flowers 
twelve  inches  across.  The  latter  open  in  the  evening,  forming  objects 
of  great  beauty  by  artificial  light,  though  they  remain  open  until  near 
noon  the  next  day. 

Nymphaea  George  Huster  is  one  of  the  finest  of  all  tropical  varieties, 
having  the  same  vigorous  growth  and  free  flowering  qualities  as  N. 
Devoniensis,  but  producing  flowers  of  a  much  deeper  and  more  brilliant 
shade  of  crimson. 

Nymphaea  Dentata  has  milk-white  flowers  with  petals  expanding 
horizontally,  producing  a  flat,  star-shaped  blossom.  The  roots  of  the 
three  above-mentioned  kinds  are  tuberous,  remaining  dormant  in 
winter. 


WATER     GARDENING     IN"     CALIFORNIA.  19 

/ 

Nymphaea  Zanzibarensis,  from  Zanzibar,  is  one  of  the  finest  of  the 
family,  bearing  flowers  of  the  richest  purple-blue  color,  and  very 
fragrant. 

Nymphaea  Zanzibarensis  Azurea  has  flowers  of  a  lovely  azure  blue, 
the  finest  of  this  color.  There  is  also  a  rosy  pink  variety. 

Under  ordinary  culture,  the  Zanzibar  varieties  give  abundance  of 
good-sized  blooms,  but  under  liberal  treatment  they  produce  leaves  and 
flowers  as  large  as  the  other  tropical  kinds.  They  open  in  the  morn- 
ing and  close  in  the  evening,  like  the  common  water  lily.  Though 
their  roots  are  tuberous,  the  plants  are  most  readily  increased  by  means 
of  seeds. 

VICTORIA     REGIA. 

The  Victoria  regia  is  the  grandest  of  all  aquatics.  From  a  seed  the 
size  of  a  pea  it  will,  under  proper  conditions,  produce  a  plant  having 
leaves  six  feet  in  diameter,  and  flowers  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  across. 
The  latter  exhale  a  most  delicious  perfume  like  that  of  pineapples, 
which  pervades  the  air  for  a  considerable  distance.  All  flower  lovers 
who  visit  Golden  Gate  Park  in  San  Francisco,  where  this  plant  is  so 
successfully  grown,  find  it  an  object  of  great  interest. 

In  cultivating  this  plant,  either  under  glass  or  in  open  air,  large 
specimens  are  obtained  only  by  having  the  water  artificially  heated. 
In  my  own  garden  it  reaches  a  moderate  size,  and  flowers  for  a  con- 
siderable period  in  the  open  air  without  artificial  heat. 

Kecently  a  new  variety  has  been  introduced  by  an  eastern  nursery 
firm,  under  the  name  of  Victoria  Trickeri.  Its  chief  merits  are  that  it 
flourishes  in  a  much  lower  temperature,  and  flowers  very  much  earlier 
than  the  older  forms.  I  have  found  by  experience  that  it  succeeds  under 
the  same  conditions  as  the  tropical  Nymphseas. 

MISCELLANEOUS  AQUATICS. 

There  are  many  other  aquatic  plants  which  do  not  belong  to  the 
water  lily  family,  but  which  are  both  interesting  and  beautiful,  help- 
ing to  make  variety  in  the  water  garden.  Among  these  is  the  water 
hyacinth,  with  curiously-swollen  leaf  stems  and  spikes  of  lilac-blue 
flowers. 

Limnocharis  Humboldtii,  or  the  water  poppy,  has  flowers  of  a  lemon- 
yellow  color,  and  somewhat  resembles  the  California  poppy.  It  prefers 
shallow  water. 

Aponogeton  Distachyon,  or  the  water  hawthorn,  though  not  a  showy 
plant,  is  desirable  on  account  of  the  fragrance  of  its  white  flowers,  and 
its  habit  of  producing  them  in  winter. 

ENVIRONMENT. 

Before  closing,  I  will  refer  briefly  to  another  subject,  which  is  prop- 


2Q  PACIFIC   STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

erly  connected  with  the  one  under  consideration.  As  the  beauty  of  a 
painting  is  enhanced  by  a  fine  setting,  so  should  our  water  garden  have 
a  background  of  tropical  and  subtropical  trees  and  plants.  How  great 
an  advantage  do  we  here  possess  over  those  who  live  in  colder  latitude?, 
when  we  can  use  for  this  purpose,  planting  permanently,  the  feathery 
papyrus,  giant  grasses,  large-leaved  caladiums,  musas,  the  towering  bam- 
boo, and  a  great  variety  of  noble  and  beautiful  plants ! 
Los  Angeles,  Gal. 


DEVELOPING    PUBLIC    PAKKS. 

BY    JOHN    MCLAREN. 

Until  I  noticed  in  the  Sunday  newspaper  that  the  subject  assigned 
me  was  the  above,  I  was  under  the  impression  that  my  topic  was  "Land- 
scape Gardening  in  California."  I  discovered  then  that  I  had  wasted 
several  hours  endeavoring  to  give  a  few  practical  hints  on  how  to  lax- 
out  a  pleasure-garden  in  our  state.  As  soon  as  I  found  that  my  subject 
was  the  development  of  parks,  I  hastened  to  my  desk,  and,  as  you  will 
find  at  the  conclusion  of  this  short  paper,  many  of  the  principal  and 
probably  some  of  the  most  essential  points  have  either  been  overlooked 
or  have  not  received  the  consideration  due  them. 

I  will  confine  my  remarks  to  the  development  of  the  parks  of  San 
Francisco,  and  principally  Golden  Gate  Park.  As  most  of  you  are 
aware,  the  reservation  was  set  aside  by  the  Legislature  of  the  state  as  a 
public  park  in  the  year  1870.  It  contains  1,014  acres,  700  acres  of 
which  were  drifting  land.  It  was  placed  under  the  exclusive  control 
of  a  Board  of  Park  Commissioners.  The  first  appointees  were  S.  F. 
Butterworth,  D.  W.  Connolly,  and  C.  F.  McDermott.  For  the  improve- 
ment of  the  park  the  Legislature  appropriated  the  sum  of  $200,000  of 
bonds.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  commission  was  the  securing  of 
a  topographical  map  of  the  reservation,  which  was  executed  by  Mr. 
Hammond  Hall,  the  eminent  engineer,  and  presented,  accompanied  by 
a  report,  early  in  the  year  1871. 

Mr,  Hall  also  presented  a  comprehensive  plan  for  the  reclamation 
of  the  sand,  and  also  for  an  appropriate  system  of  driveways,  etc.  This 
plan  was  accepted  by  the  commission,  and  the  work  of  improvement  com- 
menced. The  first  work  of  the  commission  was  the  establishment  of 
a  nursery  for  the  propagation  of  hardy  trees  to  be  used  in  planting;  the 
next  was  the  construction  of  a  driveway  leading  through  the  entire 
length  of  the  park,  a  distance  of  a  little  over  four  miles.  An  idea  of 
the  difficulty  of  keeping  the  roadway  protected  from  the  neighboring 
drifting  sand  can  be  formed  when  you  know  it  was  found  necessary  to 


DEVELOPING  PUBLIC  PARKS.  21 

cover  with  clay  or  brush  the  slopes  along  both  sides  of  the  driveway. 
The  road  to  the  beach  was  opened  in  the  year  1874.  In  the  same  year 
planting  was  commenced  in  the  sand  district  which  is  west  of  Straw- 
berry Hill,  by  the  planting  of  about  three  hundred  trees.  In  1875  the 
number  planted  was  17,000;  in  1876  and  1877,  18,000  were  set  out; 
from  1877  to  1879, 'over  40,000;  and  the  following  year,  68,000  were 
planted  in  the  different  sections  of  the  park.  In  the  year  1883  there 
were  over  120,000  trees  set  out.  During  this  year  four  hundred  acres 
of  dunes,  mostly  at  the  westerly  end,  were  planted  with  roots  of  the 
sea  bent  grass  (Amophytta  Arrenaria),  a  plant  that  has  accomplished 
more  in  arresting  the  encroachment  of  the  drift  sand  than  all  former 
experiments,  and  without  the  use  of  which  it  would  have  been  almost 
impossible  to  fully  reclaim  the  shifting  sands.  In  1884  there  were 
150,000  trees  planted,  and  about  the  same  number  in  1885.  In  the 
following  year,  owing  to  the  small  appropriation  allowed,  very  few  trees 
were  planted. 

In  1887  about  100,000  trees  were  planted;  in  the  following  year, 
about  the  same  number,  and  in  1889,  over  150,000  trees,  thus  complet- 
ing the  planting  of  the  last  acre  in  the  park  proper.  The  principal 
trees  used  were  Monterey  pine,  Pinus  Maritima,  Acacia  latifolia,  Acacia 
lophantha,  eucalyptus  in  variety,  and  Leptospermum  laveagatum. 

Many  experiments  were  tried  in  attempting  to  prevent  the  sand 
drifting,  one  of  which  was  sowing  the  ground  with  barley,  and  also 
with  yellow  and  blue  lupin,  but  they  were  only  partially  successful. 
Not  until  the  ground  was  entirely  planted  with  sea  bent  grass  was  the 
sand  kept  under  control.  The  park  had  now  arrived  at  the  stage  at 
which  almost  all  other  parks  had  commenced.  Many  of  the  great  parks 
of  the  world  were  forests  or  were  at  least  partly  covered  with  trees 
when  the  work  of  laying  out-  and  preparing  the  ground  for  public  use 
was  first  thought  of.  Central  Park,  New  York ;  Prospect  Park,  Brook- 
lyn; Fairmount  Park,  Philadelphia,  etc.,  were  all  partly  wooded  and 
covered  with  good  soil  before  operations  were  begun,  whereas  Golden 
Gate  Park  was  destitute  of  any  good  soil,  and  three-fourths  of  its  area 
destitute  of  any  verdure  whatever.  Next  in  importance  was,  and  still  is, 
the  care  of  the  trees.  In  order  to  have  fine  trees  we  must  have  good 
soil,  and  this  in  large  quantities.  Thousands  of  yards  of  manure, 
loam,  and  other  fertilizers  must  be  hauled  and  fed  to  the  trees.  Before 
a  yard  of  grass  can  be  grown  we  must  first  haul  a  yard  of  loam.  To 
give  an  idea  of  the  expense  of  lawn-making  on  poor  land,  I  will  state 
that  it  takes  sixteen  hundred  cubic  yards  of  soil  to  cover  an  acre,  at 
a  cost  of  at  least  eight  hundred  dollars. 

In  1884  the  park  made  a  strong  step  forward  in  constructing  a  new 
water  system  at  a  cost  of  $28,000,  thereby  doubling  the  supply  of  water 


22  PACIFIC    STATES   FLOKAL    CONGRESS. 

at  a  very  much  reduced  rate.  In  1887  the  principal  feature  added  to 
the  park's  attractions  was  the  erection  of  the  Children's  House,  by  gift 
of  bequest  of  Ex-Senator  Sharon.  In  the  next  year  a  great  impetus- 
was  given  to  park  work  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  doubling  the 
amount  allowed  for  park  improvements.  In  this  year  a  new  band-stand 
was  erected,  a  large  amount  of  lawn  space  was  created,  and  a  deer  park- 
laid  out,  fenced,  and  stocked.  Since  that  period  lakes  have  been  laid 
out,  miles  of  roads  and  walks  built,  the  Huntington  Waterfall  con- 
structed, recreation  grounds  of  large  extent  laid  out,  graded,  loamed, 
and  planted  to  meadow,  the  Spreckels  Music  Stand  built,  and  new  water- 
works and  pumping  machinery,  with  a  capacity  of  raising  2,000,000 
gallons  per  day,  added. 

These  are  the  general  lines  on  which  Golden  Gate  Park  has  been 
laid  out. 

The  principles  of  park  building  are  the  same  in  character,  whether 
practised  in  California  or  elsewhere,  the  universal  guide  being  unity 
of  design  and  character  with  regard  to  the  whole,  and  grouping  or  con- 
nection in  respect  to  the  parts.  The  original  character  of  the  grounds 
must  be  taken  into  consideration  and  treated  accordingly.  Some  dis- 
agreeable natural  features  may  have  to  be  eliminated,  other  natural 
characters  may  have  to  be  strengthened  and  made  more  prominent,  the 
aim  being  to  create  such  a  piece  of  scenerv  as  from  its  simple  unity  of 
character  and  pleasing  combination  of  grouping  will  form  an  appro- 
priate finish  to  the  pleasure-ground. 

Harmony  and  connection  of  the  different  parts  are  essentially 
requisite  to  the  formation  of  character  in  ground,  and  nothing  is  so 
disagreeable  as  its  interruption.  The  most  beautiful  mound  or  ter- 
race formally  placed  on  a  level,  or  the  most  elegant  sweep  amid  abrupt- 
nesses and  irregularities,  will  ever  be  discordant. 

The  tendency  of  the  times  in  landscape  work  seems  to  point  to 
the  elimination  of  the  California  character  from  the  landscape.  This  is 
due  to  the  many  introductions  from  foreign  lands,  nearly  all  of  which 
are  more  easily  propagated,  are  as  easily  transplanted,  and  in  a  much 
shorter  period  raised  to  marketable  size.  They  threaten  to  push  into 
the  background  our  native  trees  and  shrubs,  besides  taking  away  from 
the  landscape  the  California  character  which  ought  to  predominate  in 
our  garden  effects. 

Illustrative  of  the  change  in  fashion  now  taking  place  in  the  lay- 
ing out  of  gardens,  note  the  rage  for  the  building  of  terraces— ter- 
races on  the  hill,  and  terraces  on  the  flats.  They  are  also  taking  away 
some  of  our  most  beautiful  undulating  slopes,  and  raising  in  their  places 
tiff,  formal  ridges,  calling  them  terraces,  when  some  of  them  are  not 
more  than  a  foot  high.  This  seems  to  me  most  ridiculous  and  out  of 


DEVELOPIXG  PUBLIC  PARKS.  23 

place,  but  this  fad  for  the  stiff  and  formal  will  have  a  short  season. 
We  will  soon  tire  of  the  terrace  when  placed  on  the  flat,  and  the  poplar 
when  seen  starving  on  the  hill,  and  eventually  we  will  return  to  the 
natural  style. 

The  terraces  will  be  sent  to  the  hillside,  where  the  ground  is  too 
steep  for  climbing,  without  having  recourse  to  steps;  our  native  trees, 
*uch  as  the  live  oak,  the  madrone,  the  pine,  and  the  silver  fir,  will  again 
come  to  be  recognized,  and  have  a  place  in  landscape,  aided,  of  course, 
by  the  introductions  from  foreign  climes. 

Nature  has  given  us  some  of  the  most  charming  landscape  effects 
here  in  California  in  her  grouping  of  indigenous  trees.  The  live  oak, 
the  white  oak,  and  the  bay  on  our  plains  and  valleys,  the  black  and  tan 
oak,  madrone,  and  buckeye  of  our  rolling  hills,  and  what  in  nature  can 
surpass  the  great  massive  groves  and  groups  of  our  coast  redwoods,  as 
they  cluster  about  the  meadows? 

Xo  end  of  grand  combinations  of  native  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowering 
plants  might  be  formed  in  our  wonderful  state  if  a  little  good  judgment 
and  taste  were  introduced  in  the  work.  The  trouble  is  that  too  much 
is  left  to  the  management  of  those  who  have  had  no  special  training  in 
landscape  work,  men  who  do  not  even  know  the  names  of  the  plants 
which  they  are  planning  to  set  out,  and  have  not  the  faintest  idea  what 
the  effect  will  be  in  five  years  or  in  one  year,  whether  the  habits  of  growth 
are  bushy  or  pyramidal.  I  have  known  some  instances  of  advisers  being 
followed  when  they  have  advocated  the  cutting  out  of  grand  old  ever- 
green oak  in  order  to  make  room  for  a  clump  of  formal-shaped  poplars 
which  only  carry  their  leaves  four  or  five  months  of  the  twelve.  These 
same  advisers  who  are  cutting  out  our  native  oak  and  laurel  are  also 
advocating  the  changing  of  our  beautiful  natural  undulating  slopes 
into  stiff,  artificial  terraces,  where  every  foot  must  be  on  the  same  grade. 
They  set  the  plants  exactly  the  same  distance  apart,  all  of  the  same  kind 
and  size;  and,  not  content  with  shaping  the  ground  into  stiff,  formal 
lines,  they  must  get  out  their  shears  and  clip  and  cut  their  trees  into 
the  shape  of  peacocks,  umbrellas,  globes,  and  pyramids.  I  do  not 
know  whether  I  am  singular  in  my  opinion,  but  for  my  own  part  I 
would  rather  look  upon  a  tree  in  all  its  luxuriance  and  diffusion  of 
boughs  and  branches  than  when  it  is  cut  and  trimmed  into  mathe- 
matical figures,  and  I  can  not  but  fancy  that  a  group  of  free,  naturally- 
shaped  trees  or  shrubs  is  much  more  to  be  admired  than  the  most 
curiously-shaped  and  tortured  specimens  to  be  found  in  either  Japan  or 
on  the  continent. 

Another  innovation  that  we  hear  a  great  deal  of  in  late  years  is  the 
advisability  of  reducing  the  size  of  the  space  allowed  for  grass  and  also 
dotting  it  over  with  so-called  specimens  of  rare  trees.  I  also  am  an 


24  PACIFIC    STATES   FLOBAL    CONGRESS. 

admirer  of  fine  single  specimens,  but  they  should  be  planted,  in  my 
judgment,  about  the  margins  of  the  groups  by  the  edge  of  the  lawn,  not 
in  the  middle.  Nothing  gives  more  character  to  the  landscape  than 
a  large  space  of  open  lawn.  It  gives  dignity,  repose,  and  character 
to  the  surroundings,  but  of  course  it  should  not  be  out 'of  proportion 
to  the  size  of  the  place.  If  the  grounds  are  large,  so  should  also  the 
lawn  be.  If  the  house  is  small,  the  lawn  should  not  be  large.  A  small 
house  set  in  the  middle  of  a  large  lawn  does  not  look  well,  as  it  causes 
the  building  in  the  center  to  look  very  small  and  by  no  means  propor- 
tionable to  it.  Neither  does  a  large  building  situated  in  the  midst  of 
a  small,  contracted  space  present  a  pleasing  picture.  In  all  cases  the 
lawn  should  not  be  too  large  for  the  building,  nor  the  building  too  large 
for  the  lawn,  for  unless  the  parts  agree  in  harmony,  the  whole  will  be 
a  disappointment,  and  to  a  certain  extent  a  failure. 

When  possible,  a  proportion  of  all  pleasure-grounds  should  be  formed 
of  water.  If  a  landscape  has  not  water  effects,  it  lacks  one  of  the  most 
desirable  features,  and  the  larger  the  grounds,  the  greater  area  should 
be  given  to  water,  and  whatever  shape  these  waters  take,  whether  pool, 
lake,  or  running  stream,  they  should  be  given  natural-appearing  mar- 
gins. Groups  of  rock,  clumps  of  bushes,  groves  of  trees,  such  as  birch, 
alder,  poplar,  and  willow,  should  be  planted;  masses  of  underwood 
should  also  be  set  out,  in  order  to  give  variety  to  the  outline,  and  to 
lend  those  lights  and  shadows  which  are  ever  changing  and  always- 
pleasing. 

Where  the  area  is  very  large,  an  island  or  two  might  be  introduced 
near  some  point  or  promontory,  but  care  should  be  taken  to  avoid  plac- 
ing it  in  the  middle,  as  it  would  then  have  a  tendency  to  divide  the  area 
into  sections,  and  make  the  lake  appear  smaller  than  it  really  is;  but 
when  placed  near  the  edge,  it  lends  an  idea  of  extent  which  it  otherwise 
would  not  possess. 

In  the  water,  and  not  too  far  from  the  shore  line,  groups  of  water 
lilies  should  find  a  home,  and  along  the  edge  of  the  water  masses  of 
Japanese  and  other  iris  might  be  planted  to  give  a  finish  to  the  scene. 
A  park  should  contain  great  groves  of  trees,  masses  of  shrubbery, 
acres  of  wildwoods  with  thick  undergrowth,  large,  open  lawns  and 
meadows,  lakes,  rocky  slopes,  waterfalls,  and  rivulets,  the  larger  the 
better.  It  should  also  have  children's  quarters  and  playgrounds  for 
children,  recreation  grounds  where  the  youth  of  the  cities  may  romp  at 
will  and  practise  their  outdoor  sports,  a  lake  where  they  may  row  and 
paddle,  music  grounds  and  conservatories,  deep  dells  and  deer  parksr 
elk  groves,  as  well  as  inclosures  for  buffalo,  and  aviaries  for  the  hous- 
ing of  song  birds  and  birds  of  bright  plumage,  and  it  should  also 
have  driveways,  bridle  roads,  bicycle  ways,  and  footpaths  connecting  the 


FERNS    OF    THE    PACIFIC    COAST.  25 

different  objects  of  interest  and  more  prominent  features,  all  laid  out 
in  the  most  artistic  manner,  and  kept  in  the  best  of  order. 

The  aim  should  be  to  bring  to  the  denizens  of  the  city  the  priceless 
boon  of  plenty  of  fresh  air  and  sunlight,  amid  pleasant  surroundings, 
particularly  to  the  poor,  many  of  whom  can  not  afford  to  spend  the  time 
or  have  not  the  means  to  take  a  vacation. 

It  should  be  a  place  where  the  clerk  and  shopkeeper  may  find  recrea- 
tion, where  the  artisan  and  the  laborer  with  their  families  may  find 
rest  and  enjoyment. 

Golden  Gate  Park,  San  Francisco. 


FERNS  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST. 

BY    LORENZO    GORDIN     YATES. 

Ferns  have  attracted  the  attention  of  lovers  of  nature  from  time 
immemorial,  since  their  gracefulness,  delicacy,  and  varied  forms  place 
them  among  the  loveliest  of  plants.  The  literature  of  the  day  is  full 
of  allusions  to  them.  In  our  homes  they  are  most  eagerly  sought,  and 
are  used  in  an  infinite  variety  of  ways.  It  is,  therefore,  not  surprising 
that  people  turn  to  these  beautiful  plants  to  learn  their  names  and 
study  their  needs. 

BEAUTY    AND    VARIETY    OF    FORM. 

Ferns  form  a  very  distinct  and  attractive  group  of  plants.  They 
are  familiar  to  all  observers  of  natural  objects  from  the  beauty  of  their 
ample  foliage,  which  is  most  commonly  plume-like  in  form,  of  a  fresh 
and  vivid  green  hue,  and  much  divided,  or  cut  into  small  leaflets  or 
lobes.  These,  on  close  observation,  are  seen  to  be  marked  on  the  sur- 
face, or  lightly  sculptured,  or  embossed  with  delicate  veining. 

Ferns  exhibit  all  the  grace  and  beauty  resulting  from  finely-divided 
foliage,  the  various  tints  of  green  which  rest  the  eye,  the  rich  browns  as 
an  artistic  contrast,  and  further  contrasts  of  large,  coarse-growing  forms, 
to  enhance  the  beauties  of  the  more  delicate  and  filmy  species. 

Some  resemble  blades  of  grass,  from  which  they  can  with  difficulty 
be  distinguished ;  others,  creeping,  unambitious  vines,  which  carpet  the 
soil  in  the  shade  of  the  forest  trees,  or  cover  the  rough  surface  of  rocks 
with  a  tapestry  of  nature's  weaving. 

The  Gleichenias  (pronounced  G-like-ne'-as)  climb  over  rocky  surfaces, 
and  among  shrubs  and  undergrowth,  supporting  and  protecting  with 
their  wiry  stems  the  more  fragile  and  delicate  ferns  and  flowering  plants 
from  injuries  which  might  otherwise  be  inflicted  upon  them  by  the 
movements  of  animals,  and  other  causes. 


26  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

Others  more  ambitious,  climb  among  and  over  the  shrubs  and  forest 
trees,  while  many  of  the  smaller  and  more  delicate  species  vie  with  the 
orchids  in  their  endeavors  to  hide  the  rough  bark  and  unsightly  appear- 
ance of  the  fallen  and  decaying  giants  of  the  forest;  and  the  tree  ferns 
share  with  the  palms  in  adding  to  the  beauty  and  character  of  the 
scenery  of  the  tropics. 

They  vary  in  size  from  species  in  which  an  entire  plant  may  be 
covered  by  a  silver  dime,  to  the  tall,  palm-like,  arborescent  species  which 
support  their  crowns  of  feathery  fronds  at  a  height  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet. 

WHERE     TO     FIND     THEM. 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  ferns  are  restricted  to  shady,  moist 
places,  such  as  woodland  streams,  shady  banks,  and  dense,  moist  forests. 
While  this  is  in  a  measure  true,  we  find  that  they  thrive  under  almost 
•as  many  and  varied  conditions  as  do  flowering  plants.  People,  while 
in  search  of  rest  and  amusement,  seek  such  conditions  as  do  the  ferns 
most  often  found  and  best  known. 

The  warm,  humid  atmosphere  of  islands,  like  the  West  Indies,  the 
Hawaiian  group,  and  the  South  Sea  Islands,  seems  peculiarly  adapted 
to  the  best  development  of  ferns,  the  conditions  being  somewhat  of  the 
nature  of  the  atmospheric  condition  of  the  carboniferous  period  of  the 
world's  geological  history.  Tropical  regions  where  not  too  arid,  produce 
ferns  in  the  greatest  profusion. 

Different  genera  of  ferns  require  different  conditions  to  enable 
them  to  thrive;  some,  like  our  Woodwardia,  grow  in  or  near  running 
streams,  Avhile  Pellaeas  are  often  found  at  their  best  on  sunny  hill 
slopes,  among  rocks. 

The  Cheilanthes  and  jSTotholsenas  grow  at  higher  altitudes  than  most 
of  our  native  species,  but  generally  in  the  shade  of  rocks  or  trees,  or  in 
crevices. 

The  filmy  Adiantmns  grow  best  under  the  spray  of  falling  water. 

Polypodiums  prefer  to  grow  on  the  trunks  and  limbs  of  trees,  or  on 
rocks  where  there  is  sufficient  moisture  in  the  atmosphere. 

Some  prefer  the  sandy  barrens  of  pine  forests,  notably  the  Schiza?a 
pusilla  of  Xew  Jersey,  while  others,  such  as  Aspidiums  and  Aspleniums, 
require  the  deep,  rich  humus  under  stately  trees  of  the  forests. 

Acrostichum  aureum  and  some  other  ferns  grow  like  reeds  or  bam- 
boo in  marshy  swamps. 

The  Vittaria  makes  its  home  in  the  tops  of  the  Palmetto  trees,  and 
resembles  a  bunch  of  grass  much  more  than  a  fern. 

Lygodiums,  or  Climbing  Ferns,  require  rich,  damp  soil,  or  moist, 
decayed  logs,  which  they  cover  with  their  dainty  sprays,  or,  climbing 


FERNS    OF    THE    PACIFIC    COAST.  ^l 

the  tallest  trees  in  the  forest,  clothe  them  with  a  network  of  lace-like 
foliage. 

In  the  island  of  Jamaica  and  similar  localities,  many  ferns  are 
epiphytal,  attaching  themselves  to  the  surface  or  bark  of  the  trunk  and 
branches  of  forest  trees,  covering  them  with  a  mantle  of  living  green. 
The  most  curious  of  all  is  the  floating  fern  (Ceratopteris  thalictrioidcs) , 
which  requires  no  soil,  no  anchorage,  but  simply  floats  upon  the  sur- 
face of  streams  and  quiet  pools  in  southern  Florida  and  other  tropical 
countries.  It  is  singular  in  another  respect,  being  one  of  the  very  few 
ferns  that  are  annuals;  the  others  are  Gymnogramme  chaerophylla  and 
G.  leptophylla. 

The  nobility  and  stateliness  of  the  fern  family  culminates  in  the 
tree  fern,  whose  magnificent  crowns  are  reared  aloft  on  their  straight, 
slender  stems,  which,  being  of  a  fibrous  character  and  easily  penetrated 
by  the  roots  of  other  plants,  become  the  homes  of  many  delicate  species 
of  the  smaller  ferns,  selaginellas,  orchids,  etc. 

In  fact,  there  is  scarcely  a  place  from  which  ferns  are  entirely 
excluded.  In  the  far  north,  and  on  lofty  mountains  above  the  limit 
of  forests,  the  delicate  Cystopteris,  the  firmer  Polypodiums,  and  Aspid- 
iums  peep  from  the  rocks,  or  wave  over  alpine  rivulets. 

The  woods,  ravines,  and  rock  dells  of  our  eastern  states  are  full  of 
their  beautiful  forms.  From  the  rocks  hang  graceful  Adiantums, 
Cheilanthes,  and  Aspleniums;  while  along  the  water  courses  and  shady 
ravines  are  multitudes  of  Adiantums,  Pteris,  Woodwardias.  Campto- 
sorus,  Osmundas,  Onocleas,  and  Aspleniums. 

On  the  Pacific  Coast,  especially  in  southern  California,  many  of  the 
species  and  some  of  the  genera  common  to  other  portions  of  North 
America  are  absent,  as  our  well-defined  dry  season  does  not  suit  the 
moisture-loving  species  which  grow  in  such  luxuriance  in  more  humid 
regions.  The  larger  number  of  species  of  Cheilanthes,  Pella?as,  and 
Notholgenas,  several  of  which  extend  through  Mexico,  and  some  to 
South  America,  are  perhaps  more  interesting  to  the  fern-lover  than  are 
the  coarser  and  more  rampant-growing  ferns  of  more  northern  regions. 

THE     PACIFIC     COAST. 

The  remarkable  extent  of  the  coast  line  of  the  United  States  on  the 
Pacific,  extending  as  it  does  from  latitude  32i  degrees  to  72  degrees 
north,  and  between  longitude  40  degrees  and  187  degrees  west  from 
Washington,  including  all  the  coast  from  the  semitropic  region  of 
northern  Mexico  to  the  extreme  northern  limit  of  Alaska,  gives  us  a 
range  of  extremely  varied  climatic  conditions,  and  numerous  zones  of 
animal  and  vegetable  life,  in  consequence  of  which,  our  fern  flora 
partakes  of  the  characteristics  of  many  widely  separated  regions. 


28  PACIFIC    STATES   FLOKAL    CONGRESS. 

Many  of  the  ferns  of  the  southwest  are  really  Mexican  species  which 
lap  over  and  intermingle  with  those  of  more  temperate  and  northern 
species.  Several  species  of  Cheilanthes  and  Notholamas  are  found  in 
southern  California,  Arizona,  and  New  Mexico,  but  disappear  with 
more  or  less  rapidity  as  we  leave  the  Mexican  border. 

Occasionally  patches  of  these  southern  species  are  found  at  widely; 
separated  localities,  often  at  high  altitudes,  and  their  distribution  is 
such  as  to  give  rise  to  the  question,  Are  these  species  in  process  of  evo- 
lution or  of  extinction? 

But  the  comparatively  recent  appearance  of  man  on  the  earth,  and 
the  still  shorter  time  during  which  he  has  made  a  study  of  these  sub- 
jects, is  entirely  insufficient  to  enable  us  to  answer  the  question  with 
any  degree  of  satisfaction. 

One  of  our  Polypodiums  (P.  Scouleri)  has  been  noted  from  Marin 
County,  north  of  San  Francisco,  which  is  perhaps  its  northern  limit: 
next,  in  San  Francisco  County,  near  the  ocean;  again,  on  an  outlying 
islet  in  San  Luis  Obispo  County;  and  further  south,  on  one  of  the 
Channel  islands,  off  Santa  Barbara,  from  where  it  skips  to  Guadaloupe 
Island,  off  the  coast  of  Mexico.  It  does  not  appear  to  have  been  found 
at  any  distance  from  the  ocean.  Is  it  the  remnant  of  a  species  which 
formerly  occupied  a  larger  extent  of  country  and  is  approaching  ex- 
tinction ?  or  has  it  been  recently  evolved,  to  become,  in  time,  more  gen- 
erally distributed?  Or  is  it  a  stray,  or  survival  of  the  fern  flora  of 
territory  which  formerly  existed  to  the  westward  of  the  present  coast 
line?  All  of  these  theories  have  been  advanced,  but  which,  if  any  of 
them,  is  the  correct  answer  to  the  question? 

Nephrodium  patens,  found  in  Santa  Barbara  County,  is  found  in 
Texas  and  Florida.  Several  others  of  our  ferns  present  equally  inter- 
esting illustrations  of  the  peculiarities  of  distribution. 

Some  of  our  species  are  restricted  to  California,  and  more  of  th"t" 
to  California  and  Oregon,  and  to  California  and  Arizona,  but  as  we 
go  north  we  find  the  species  of  the  eastern  states  overlapping  and  inter- 
mingling with  the  ferns  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  until  we  reach  a  region 
where  the  ferns  common  to  Canada  and  the  northern  states  predom- 
inate. 

One  marked  departure  from  the  general  rule  in  relation  to  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  Cheilanthes  in  the  north,  is  shown  by  Cheilanthes 
argentea,  which  is  found  in,  and  restricted  to,  Alaska;  Botrychium 
boreale  is  another  species  which  is  restricted  to  the  same  territory. 

The  Pacific  fern  flora  represents  a  portion  of  the  Nearctic  realm, 
a  term  applied  to  the  portion  of  North  America  lying  north  of  Mexico. 
This  realm  is  divided  into  live  provinces,  called  Boreal,  Medial,  Occi- 
dental, Arizonan,  and  Austral.  Each  of  these  provinces  possesses  species 


FERNS    OF    THE    PACIFIC    COAST.  29 

peculiar  to  itself,  but  the  limits  are  by  no  means  sharply  denned,  for 
some  of  the  species  will  pass  beyond  the  limit,  yet  the  majority  found 
in  one  province  are  different  from  those  in  the  others.  This  rule  does 
not  apply  to  the  species  that  is  widely  distributed  over  the  realm, 
many  of  which  are  cosmopolitan  in  character. 

Three  of  the  above-named  provinces,  namely  the  Arizonan,  Occi- 
dental, and  Boreal,  are  represented  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

Of  the  political  divisions  of  our  coast  line,  California  and  Alaska 
alone  appear  to  possess  species  peculiar  to  the  territory  lying  within 
their  boundaries:  It  is  probable  that  when  the  large  extent  of  territory 
forming  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  United  States  is  more  thor- 
oughly explored,  many  new  species  will  be  discovered,  and  the  known 
habitat  of  many  others  be  largely  extended. 

THE     UTILITY     OF     FERNS. 

For  decorative  purposes  ferns  stand  unrivaled,  their  graceful  and 
delicate  fronds  causing  them  to  be  appreciated  by  all  lovers  of  the 
beautiful.  For  the  embellishment  of  the  conservatory,  dinner  table, 
ball-room,  or  the  home,  ferns  present  a  beauty  of  outline  which  is  never 
tiresome.  For  bouquets  in  connection  with  flowers,  they  are  indis- 
pensable. Woodwardia  radicans,  which  in  some  parts  of  California  has 
fronds  more  than  ten  feet  in  height,  is  unrivaled  for  the  decoration  of 
walls  and  other  purposes. 

The  first  use  to  which  nature  put  the  ferns  appears  to  have  been  the 
conservation  of  the  superabundance  of  poisonous  carbon  dioxid  from 
the  atmosphere,  thus  gradually  preparing  it  to  sustain  animal  life, 
which  was  evolved  at  a  later  period. 

This  carbon  thus  taken  from  the  atmosphere  and  assimilated  by  the 
ferns  and  other  cryptogams,  was  deposited  in  solid  form  and  afterward 
covered  and  stored  up  in  nature's  laboratory,  where  it  was  eventually 
changed  to  coal,  petroleum,  and  other  carbonaceous  substances.  From 
this  storehouse,  after  the  lapse  of  millions  of  years,  it  is  being  exhumed 
by  civilized  man,  to  supply  the  heat,  light,  and  motive  power  necessary 
for  his  comfort. 

Man  uses  ferns  for  various  economic  purposes.  The  pith  of  Cya- 
thnea  medularis  (a  tree  fern)  is  used  by  the  New  Zealanders  as  food. 

The  stems  (stipes)  of  Pteris  esculenta  and  Callipteris  esculenta,  and 
the  tuberous  roots  of  Nephrolepis  tuberosa,  have  been  used  for  food. 
Asplenium  filixmas,  Ceterach  officinarum,  Scolopendriums,  and  many 
others  have  been  used  medicinally.  The  styptic  drugs  brought  from 
Sumatra  under  the  names  of  Penghawa  Djambi  and  Pakoe  Kidang,  aro 
supposed  to  be  products  of  ferns.  The  tomentum  of  the  "Pulu  plant'' 
(Ciboteum)  used  in  California  and  Australia,  when  feathers  were  not 


30  PACIFIC    STATES    FLOHAL    COXCiliESS. 

obtainable,  to  stuff  pillows,  cushions,  and  mattresses,  is  no  longer  used, 
it  being  an  unsatisfactory  substitute  for  leathers. 

Gleichenia  dichotoma  is  used  by  the  negroes  of  Brazil  for  making 
pipe-stems.  Angiopteris  and  Polypodium  phymatodes  are  used  by  the 
natives  of  the  South  Sea  Islands  in  the  preparation  of  coconut-oil. 
The  rhizomes  of  several  species  of  ferns  furnish  food  to  the  natives 
of  Australia. 

The  medicinal  qualities  of  some  of  the  Adiantums  have  been  highly 
extolled  and  recommended  for  the  relief  of  persons  suffering  from  pul- 
monary diseases,  and  in  Mexico  a  tea  made  from  the  Adi  an  turn  trieo- 
lepis  is  prescribed  for  chills  and  fever,  under  the  name  of  "Silantrillo 
de  pozo." 

Woodwardia  radicans  was  used  by  the  Indians  of  California  for  the 
treatment  of  bruises;  it  was  used  as  an  infusion  taken  internally;  they 
called  it  "Golpe."  The  Spaniards  learned  its  uses  from  the  Indians,  and 
called  it  "Yerba  Golpe."  In  southern  California  the  aborigines  used 
our  Aspidium  rigidum  argutum  for  medicinal  purposes,  and  the  stipes 
of  the  Adiantum  in  their  basket-work. 

In  Europe  and  other  countries  ferns  are  more  generally  utilized  for 
various  purposes  than  they  are  in  the  United  States. 

The  true  ferns  of  North  America,  north  of  Mexico,  number  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty.  Of  these  fifty  are  found  in  California.  Among 
them  are  eight  Pellseas,,  eight  Aspidiums,  five  Polypodiums,  five  or  more 
Notholsenas,  three  Adiantums,  and  eight  or  more  Oheilanth.es,  besides 
Cryptogramme,  Lomaria,  Woodwardia,  Aspleniums,  Phegopteris,  Cystop- 
teris  woodsia,  together  with  numerous  varieties  of  the  species  of  the 
genera  above  named,  and  species  of  the  genera  Ophioglossum  and 
Botrichium,  belonging  to  the  Ophioglossacca?. 

In  Oregon  and  the  regions  further  north  there  are  perhaps  fewer 
species.  Those  are  more  prolific,  and  consequently  their  presence  is 
more  noticeable.  The  real  number  of  species  can  not  be  determined 
with  certainty  until  the  flora  of  those  regions  has  been  more  thoroughly 
studied. 

DAN(!KK    OF    EXTINCTION". 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  many  of  our  choicest  ferns  are  in 
eminent  danger  of  extermination  from  the  recklessness  or  thoughtless- 
ness of  persons  who  seem  to  have  an  insatiable  desire  to  pull  up  or 
estroy  everything  that  is  beautiful  or  rare.  Picnic  and  camping 
parties  will  load  up  their  vehicles  with  the  delicate  ferns  and  flowering 
plants,  to  be  thrown  away  as  soon  as  they  begin  to  fade. 

Our  school-children  should  be  taught  to  preserve,  instead  of  destroy- 
ing, our  ferns,  flowers,  and  birds. 

Santa   Barbara.  Cal. 


BAMBOOS  AND  ORNAMENTAL  GRASSES   FOR   CALIFORNIA.  31 

BAMBOOS  AND  ORNAMENTAL  GRASSES  FOR  CALIFORNIA. 

BY    C.    F.    FRANCESCHI. 

Is  it  only  for  the  sake  of  variety,  or  to  give  a  restful  change  to  the 
eye  accustomed  to  the  more  rigid  forms  of  trees  and  shrubs,  that  we  like 
to  see  bamboos  and  other  ornamental  grasses  in  our  gardens?  Or  is 
it  not  rather  because  there  is  a  peculiar  charm  about  them,  as  they 
gently  wave  in  the  slightest  breeze?  Motion  is  life,  and  we  naturally 
sympathize  more  with  what  has  life  in  it.  There  is  no  plant  that  can 
not  find  appropriate  place  in  gardening.  Bamboos  and  other  grasses 
can  be  used  to  advantage  in  so  many  different  cases,  from  screening 
fences  and  unsightly  buildings,  up  to  being  the  most  prominent  orna- 
ment on  a  lawn.  Still,  they  are  not  employed  as  much  as  they  deserve, 
probably  because  people  do  not  know  enough  of  them.  For  this  reason 
I  accepted  with  pleasure  your  kind  invitation  to  prepare  a  paper  on 
this  subject  that  has  always  been  dear  to  me. 

Quite  a  large  number  of  bamboos  and  other  ornamental  grasses  can 
be  grown  all  over  California;  a.  limited  number  will  be  suitable  only 
for  frostless  or  almost  frostless  localities.  Of  the  latter  I  will  make 
separate  mention. 

In  the  enumeration  that  follows,  the  first  place  belongs  by  right 
to  the  common  south  European  reed,  Arundo  Donax,  and  to  its  form 
with  variegated  leaves.  It  is  sure  to  have  been  the  first  ornamental 
grass  introduced  in  California,  and  it  possesses  so  many  points  to  mako 
it  hold  still  a  prominent  place  in  our  gardens.  It  is  worth  remark- 
ing that  Arundo  Donax  generally  attains  in  California  much  larger 
size  than  in  its  native  country,  and  that  the  variegated  one,  commonly 
called  "ribbon  grass,"  maintains  here  its  variegation  much  better  than 
in  the  south  of  Europe. 

Under  the  name  of  bamboos  are  comprised  different  genera  and  a 
large  number  of  species,  much  varying  in  size,  but  all  agreeing  in  hav- 
ing woody  canes,  more  or  less  hollow  (only  a  few  being  known  to  be 
solid),  and  persistent  leaves,  that  will  vary  a  good  deal  in  size. 

The  genus  Arundinaria  is  represented  in  California  gardens  by 
eight  species  at  least,  all  of  them  hardy,  and  all  introduced  from  Asia, 
with  the  exception  of  A.  Macrosperma,  a  native  of  our  southern  Atlantic 
states. 

The  above  named,  together  with  A.  Hindsii,  A.  Japonica,  and  A. 
Simoni,  and  the  dwarf,  charmingly  variegated  A.  Fortunei,  all  Japa- 
nese, are  provided  with  underground  stolons  or  runners,  so  that  they 
will  cover  a  large  surface  of  ground  in  a  short  time,  a  circumstance 
not  to  be  overlooked  when  making  use  of  them.  A.  Falcata,  A.  Fal- 


32  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

coneri,  and  A.  Nobilis,  all  from  the  Himalayan  regions,  are  growing 
instead  in  clumps,  and  never  have  runners.  Among  hardy  bamboos 
these  are  certainly  the  most  desirable,  having  thin,  slender  stems  grace- 
fully arching  under  the  weight  of  their  feathery  foliage,  the  most  appro- 
priate place  for  them  being  as  isolated  specimens  on  lawns.  Many 
more  species  of  Arundinaria  are  known,  some  of  them  already  intro- 
duced in  Europe,  that  we  expect  to  possess  in  our  gardens  before  long. 

The  genus  Phyllostachys,  mostly  belonging  to  northern  China  and 
Japan,  contributes  a  large  number  of  species,  among  them  the  tallest- 
growing  of  hardy  bambops.  All  of  them  have  runners,  and  are  easily 
recognized  by  having  only  three  branchlets  at  each  joint,  the  central  one 
much  smaller,  or  often  aborted  altogether.  Here  belongs  Ph.  Viridi 
Glaucescens,  from  northern  China,  by  far  the  best  of  all  hardy  bamboos 
for  general  purposes.  This,  if  in  good  conditions,  that  is,  in  rich  soil 
and  with  plenty  of  water,  will  grow  up  to  forty  feet  and  have  canes  of 
two  inches  diameter.  It  will  spread  very  rapidly,  and  will  keep  well 
its  bright  green  color  winter  and  summer. 

Ph.  Mitis,  from  northern  China  also,  is  said  to  attain  much  larger 
size,  and  not  to  run  as  much  as  the  former.  It  has  given  very  fine 
results  in  southern  France.  With  us  it  has  never  been  a  great  success, 
the  plants  that  have  been  imported  from  Japan  since  many  years, 
generally  failing  to  grow,  for  some  unaccountable  reason. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  the  very  odd  Ph.  Heterocycla,  "kikko- 
chiku"  of  the  Japanese,  which  presents  the  knots  at  the  base  in  a  zigzag 
fashion,  very  often  represented  in  Japanese  curiosities. 

Ph.  Xigra  will  not  reach  quite  the  size  of  the  two  first  named,  but,  if 
liberally  treated,  will  grow  up  to  twenty  feet,  with  canes  over  one  inch  in 
diameter,  that  possess  the  most  beautiful  jet  black  color  when  thor- 
oughly ripened.  There  is  also  a  variety  with  canes  curiously  spotted 
black  and  yellow,  much  esteemed  by  the  Japanese,  who  are  very  fond 
of  making  artificial  imitations  of  it, 

Ph.  Castillonis,  from  Japan,  grows  about  the  same  style  as  the  pre- 
ceding, but  has  canes  beautifully-striped  yellow  and  green,  its  foliage 
also  being  sparingly  variegated  with  white. 

More  humble  and  more  stiff  in  its  habit  is  Ph.  Aurea,  which  was 
probably  the  first  bamboo  introduced  in  this  country.  The  canes  of 
this  will  never  reach  one  inch;  the  nodes  are  very  thickly  set  at  the 
base.  Walking  sticks  and  umbrella  handles  are  made  of  it. 

Ph.  Violascens,  Ph.  Henonis,  Ph.  Marliacea,  and  others  are  not  yet 
sufficiently  tried  here  to  be  able  to  say  much  of  them.  Several  more 
cinds  of  these  hardy  bamboos  remain  to  be  introduced ;  no  doubt  some 
welcome  acquisitions  will  be  found  among  them. 

The  genus  Bambusa  proper  is  represented  in  California  by  differ- 


BAMBOOS  AND  ORNAMENTAL  GRASSES   FOR  CALIFORNIA.  33 

ent  species.  Only  a  few  of  them  can  be  classified  as  hardy,  and,  per- 
haps, when  better  known  to  botanists,  they  may  be  found  not  to  belong 
to  the  true  Bambusa  at  all.  For  the  present  we  will  call  them  Bam- 
busa,  anyhow. 

Among  these  hardy  kinds  the  most  remarkable  is,  to  be  sure, 
B.  Quadrangularis,  possessing  the  very  strange  peculiarity  of  having 
its  canes  not  cylindrical,  but  perfectly  square.  They  will  grow  up  to 
one  inch  thickness,  and  are  said  to  attain  fifty  feet  in  northern  Japan, 
with  an  abundant  rainfall,  of  course.  It  appears  to  be  essentially  a 
winter  grower,  the  new  shoots  starting  after  the  fall  rains.  Its  leaves 
are  long  and  drooping,  and  have  a  peculiar  tufted  appearance. 

B.  Ruscifolia  is  a  very  pretty  dwarf  kind,  unlike  any  other,  suitable 
only  for  borders  and  for  covering  the  ground,  growing  not  much  over 
two  feet.  This  and  the  preceding  will  produce  plenty  of  runners. 

B.  Verticillata  (name  doubtful)  has  been  grown  in  California  for 
more  than  twenty  years,  and  was  probably  introduced  from  Japan. 
It  makes  very  thick  clumps  (never  runs),  and  the  canes,  not  much 
over  one-half  inch  thick,  will  reach  twenty  feet  in  good  conditions. 
They  present  a  rich  golden  color  when  ripe,  often  striped  with  green. 
The  leaves  are  thickly  arranged  in  tufts,  and  slightly  variegated  white. 
It  makes  most  elegant  specimens,  and  particularly  pretty  when  the 
new  stems  begin  to  unfold  their  leaves  beautifully  colored  in  pink. 

Two  more  kinds  of  hardy  bamboos,  doubtfully  referred  to  this  sec- 
tion, are  what  I  call  No.  1  and  No.  2  in  my  catalogue,  not  having 
been  able  to  yet  ascertain  their  botanical  name.  No.  1  is  very  distinct; 
stems  grow  perfectly  upright,  15  feet  or  more,  about  one  inch  thick, 
and  absolutely  cylindrical,  with  no  groove  at  all;  leaves  tufted,  on 
short  branches  that  all  have  the  same  length;  a  great  runner.  Of  No. 
2  I  can  offer  the  Japanese  name  only,  "kan-chiku."  This  grows  very 
thick,  only  four  to  five  feet  high ;  stems  are  very  thin  and  solid,  with  no 
cavity,  coming  up  in  the  fall;  in  Japan  much  prized  as  "winter- 
greens."  A  great  runner,  also. 

B.  Pubescens,  B.  Scriptoria,  and  a  few  more  of  doubtful  name,  we 
have  also  in  California;  not  much  can  be  said  of  any  of  them  for  the 
present. 

Before  leaving  the  bamboos  I  will  be  allowed  to  say  a  word  of  the 
few  kinds  we  have  that  can  be  recommended  only  for  where  there  is 
very  slight  frost.  Four  species  of  Bambusa  belong  here,  and  two 
of  Dendrocalamus,  all  of  them  being  often  called  "giant"  bamboos, 
because  attaining  larger  size  than  any  of  the  species  mentioned  above. 

The  most  known  of  these,  although  not  common  at  all,  is  B.  Vul- 
garis,  that  will  attain  seventy  feet  and  over  in  favorable  conditions,  and 
more  than  four  inches  in  diameter.  I  know  of  a  clump  in  Los  Angeles 


34  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

that  has  been  planted  only  four  years,  and  has  now  twenty-five  stems 
at  least,  that  must  be  some  fifty  feet  high,  a  magnificent  thing  alto- 
gether. 

Attaining  the  same  size,  but  more  ornamental  and  quite  striking  in 
appearance,  is  the  yellow-stemmed  variety  of  the  preceding.  Of  this, 
splendid  specimens  are  to  be  seen  at  Palermo,  Sicily,  and  at  Valencia. 
Spain;  so  that  there  is  no  doubt  it  will  become  one  of  the  finest  orna- 
ments of  southern  California  gardens,  where  it  is  quite  rare  up  to  the 
present. 

Bambusa  Arundinacea,  the  most  common  giant  bamboo  in  India, 
has  spiny  stems  and  more  minute  foliage  than  the  preceding.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  grows  more  compact,  and  appears  to  stand  drought  bet- 
ter. B.  No.  1  of  my  catalogue  was  introduced  to  California  many 
years  ago,  nobody  knows  from  where.  It  grows  in  the  same  style  as 
B.  Vulgaris,  but  not  quite  as  large,  the  "sheaths"  beautifully  striped 
white  and  green. 

'The  most  beautiful  and  majestically  impressing  of  all  "giant"  bam- 
boos I  will  mention  is  the  last.  I  regret  being  unable  to  give  a  name 
for  it.  They  call  it  "Taimin"  and  "Taisan"  in  Japan,  but  it  appears 
not  to  be  a  native  there,  and  imported  by  nurserymen  from  the  island 
of  Formosa  or  from  some  point  on  the  coast  of  southern  China.  This 
bamboo  has  much  broader  leaves  than  any  of  the  other  "giants,''  and  of 
much  darker  green,  keeping  well  all  winter.  The  stems  grow  straight 
as  a  rocket,  and  ultimately  must  attain  considerable  size,'  as  far  as  we 
can  judge  from  the  larger  specimens  at  Santa  Barbara,  that  aro  only 
seven  years  old. 

To  close  this  enumeration  of  bamboos  I  will  have  to  mention  two 
species  of  Dendrocalamus,  very  promising  for  frostless  locations,  but 
very  scarce  up  to  now,  namely,  D.  Strictus,  the  "male"  bamboo  of 
India,  where  it  is  quite  common  and  much  prized  for  building  and 
other  purposes,  its  stems  being  solid  and  very  tough.  They  reach  fifty 
or  sixty  feet,  and  arch  very  gracefully,  the  foliage  being  thick  and  like 
velvet  to  the  touch.  D.  Membranaceus,  from  Burma,  appears  to  be 
more  tender  and  not  such  a  rapid  grower ;  it  has  very  fine  foliage  of  a 
light  green  color. 

Among  other  ornamental  grasses  hardy  everywhere  in  California, 
the  "Pampas,"  as  it  is  commonly  called,  Gynerium  Argentcuin,  or 
Cortaderia,  as  it  was  recently  rebaptized,  is  too  well  known  to  every- 
body, and  everybody  knows  what  fine  effects  it  gives  on  extensive 
grounds,  the  only  drawback  being  that  it  grows  so  large  with  us  as  to 
be  necessarily  excluded  from  small  city  lots.  What  is  not  generally 
known  is  that  there  are  a  number  of  varieties  having  plumes  of  dif- 
ferent shades  of  pink  and  purple,  that  could  be  used  to  advantage  at 
their  proper  place. 


FLORAL    LITERATURE    OF    CALIFORNIA.  35 

Miscanthus,  or  Eulalia,  as  it  is  more  commonly  called,  is  represented 
in  California  gardens  by  different  forms,  probably  deriving  all  from 
M.  Sinensis  (Eulalia  Japonica).  None  of  them  grow  more  than  a  few 
feet,  and  they  are  eminently  suitable  for  small  grounds,  being  orna- 
mental alike  for  their  differently-variegated  leaves,  as  for  their  pretty 
inflorescences. 

Gymnothrix  Latifolia  is  another  very  hardy  ornamental  grass, 
which  has  quite  a  bold  appearance,  with  its  broad  foliage  and  dark- 
colored  stalks.  Erianthus  Ravennse  and  Saccharum  JEgyptiacum  can 
be  used  in  large  places  for  the  sake  of  variety,  their  effect  being  about 
similar  to  Gynerium. 

For  obtaining  tropical  effects,  nothing  is  better  than  Panicum  Ex- 
t-urrens,  which,  in  the  shade  of  trees,  and  with  plenty  of  moisture,  will 
grow  several  feet  high,  and  have  leaves  four  or  more  inches  wide.  It 
will  not  stand  frost,  but,  as  it  comes  up  readily  from  seed,  it  can  be 
treated  as  an  annual  where  it  will  not  go  through  the  winter. 

There  are  quite  a  number  of  other  ornamental  grasses  suitable  for 
California,  of  which  the  merit  resides  principally  in  their  flowers  rather 
than  in  the  mass  of  their  foliage,  such  as  Pennisetum  Longistylum, 
and  P.  Ruppelianum,  Tricholsena  Rosea,  etc.  I  will  close,  recommend- 
ing to  make  use,  at  proper  places,  of  our  native  Elymus  Condensatus, 
that  will  give  very  good  effects  and  will  stand  cold  and  intense  heat 
well. 

Santa  Barbara,  Gal. 

FLORAL    LITERATURE    OE    CALIFORNIA. 

BY     CHARLES     HOWARD     SHIN-V. 

Somehow,  the  transplanting  of  a  civilized  race  from  a  familiar 
region,  whose  resources  are  fairly  well  understood,  to  a  new  and  very 
different  land,  greatly  stimulates  its  energies.  The  arts  of  home  build- 
ing and  garden-making  develop  under  such  conditions,  and  in  time  find 
expression  in  a  local  literature.  Pioneers,  if  we  make  due  allowance  for 
their  difficulties,  often  accomplish  more,  proportionally,  in  the  way  of 
creating  fair  gardens  than  do  their  immediate  successors.  We  have 
few  millionaires  to-day  who  dream  of  paying  such  prices  in  trouble 
and  money  for  rare  plants  and  beautiful  grounds  as  did  the  Beards,  the 
Ralstons,  and  the  great-hearted  founders  of  some  of  the  pioneer  fam- 
ilies of  California. 

Sometimes,  too,  we  are  inclined  to  think  that  the  literature  of  the 
garden  began  on  the  Pacific  Coast  in  the  age  of  steam  presses,  tele- 
graphs, and  transcontinental  railroads.  It  is  not  so.  The  "first  fine 
rapture"  of  discovery  and  conquest  gave  birth  to  a  splendid  enthusiasm 


36  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

for  the  flowers  and  plants  of  the  vast,  unfenced  wilderness,  stretching 
from  Texas  to  Oregon,  and  one  finds  its  expression  in  hundreds  of  books 
of  travel,  in  ponderous  government  reports,  in  forgotten  periodicals, 
and,  to  some  extent,  in  the  whole  outdoor  literature  of  Europe  and 
America  during  the  exciting  period  of  the  gold  rush  to  California. 

We  once  had,  as  you  know,  many  and  very  quaint  publications  in 
California,  all  dead  and  forgotten  now,  but  still  worth  studying  in  the 
libraries.  There  was  the  old  Alia  California,  the  California  Farmer, 
the  Golden  Era,  the  Hesperian,  the  Pioneer,  Hutchings'  Pioneer  Mag- 
azine. They  contained  stilted  essays,  sketches,  and  stories,  often  mod- 
eled after  forgotten  literary  patterns  of  New  York  and  Paris.  But 
their  descriptive  writings  first  broke  away  from  these  hampering  tra- 
ditions, and  shaped  themselves  anew  under  our  own  California  skies. 
Ewer,  "Shirley,"  Hutchings,  Wadsworth,  Dr.  Kellogg,  and  a  few  others 
wrote  of  things  as  they  saw  them,  and  in  some  degree  caught  the  out- 
door charm  of  the  new  land  as  it  was  slowly  yielding  to  spade  and  plow. 

But  there  had  been  a  still  earlier  discovery  of  the  floral  wealth  of 
the  Pacific  Coast.  Long  before  Marshall's  mill-race  gleamed  with  that 
fateful  flake  of  gold,  the  botanists  and  collectors  who  visited  the  coast 
had  sent  forth  a  cry  of  delight  that  stirred  the  pulses  of  Europe.  If 
the  letters,  journals,  and  various  contributions  to  descriptive  and  scien- 
tific literature,  made  by  the  long  line  of  botanical  explorers  who  visited 
this  coast  between  1790  and  1848,  be  not  a  part  of  this  record,  then  I 
know  not  what  justly  belongs  here.  Among  these  enthusiasts  were 
men  like  Langsdorf,  who  accompanied  that  unfortunate  Count  Kezan- 
off,  of  Bret  Harte's  beautiful  poem,  and  Chamisso  and  Eschscholtz. 
The  last  two,  friends,  close-linked  in  literature  and  science,  gave  our 
orange-hued  poppy  its  consonantal  name. 

The  starting-point,  however,  for  most  students  is  with  the  exten- 
sive work  done  by  David  Douglas  (1825-1833),  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Eoyal  Horticultural  Society  of  England.  In.  the  proceedings  of 
that  society  one  finds  some  of  his  reports  and  the  first  colored  plates 
ever  issued  of  many  of  our  California  bulbs.  The  second  volume  of 
Hooker's  Companion  to  the  Botanical  Magazine  contains  his  fascinat- 
ing letters.  After  Douglas  came  Coulter,  Nuttall,  Hartweg,  and  others, 
and  then  the  famous  groups  of  botanical  explorers,  whose  work  appears 
in  government  publications,  such  as  the  Pacific  Eailroad  and  Boundary 
Survey  reports.  Men  like  Gray,  Thurber,  Newberry,  Torrey,  Engel- 
mann,  and  Parry  wrote  much  that  was  a  real  gift  to  the  literature  of 
the  period,  and  in  many  cases  they  had  for  illustrations  those  wonderful 
pen-and-ink  drawings  made  by  T.  C.  Hilgard. 

But  you  will  say  that  government  reports  are  only  the  "raw 
material"  of  outdoor  literature.  Then  turn  to  Edinburgh,  in  1859- 


FLORAL    LITERATURE    OF    CALIFORNIA.  37 

1860,  when  Dr.  Andrew  Murray  published  his  two  parts  of  "Notes  on 
California  Trees/'  compiled  chiefly  from  the  letters  of  his  brother,  Wm. 
Murray,  of  San  Francisco,  and  illustrated  with  superb  lithographs  of 
the  Sequoias.  It  was  in  1860,  too,  that  Thomas  Starr  King  wrote  (I 
think  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly)  a  very  charming  account  of  a  trip 
"around  the  bay  in  the  season  of  flowers,"  when,  as  he  expressed  it, 
there  were  "flowers  by  the  acre,  flowers  by  the  square  mile." 

Here  we  begin  to  reach  the  modern  way  of  looking  at  things.  All 
through  the  pages  of  the  publications  of  the  State  Agricultural  Soci- 
ety between  1856  and  1860,  the  early  reports  of  the  State  Surveyor- 
General,  the  "State  Kegister"  for  1857-60,  the  rambling  surveys  of 
Dr.  Trask,  the  first  state  geologist,  we  have  had  somewhat  obscure 
glimpses  of  a  land  overflowing  with  growth  and  blossom.  We  have 
seen  the  pioneer  surveyors,  Day  and  Goddard  and  the  rest,  camping  in 
the  lily  beds  of  the  high  Sierra  valleys;  we  have  watched  pioneer  com- 
mittees going  around,  away  back  in  the  early  fifties,  to  tell  us,  all  too 
briefly,  of  the  glories  of  Shell  Mound  Nurseries,  the  New  England 
Gardens,  Hock  Farm,  Fontainebleau,  and  other  places  now,  alas  !  in  ruins. 
We  hear  of  Fox,  Sonntag,  Prevost,  Macondray,  Lewelling.  These 
reports,  though  hardly  the  literature  of  the  garden,  are  very  excellent 
materials,  out  of  which,  some  of  these  days,  the  right  man  or  woman 
will  reconstruct  the  whole  story,  and  give  us  our  long-needed  book  on 
"California  Floriculture." 

That  "modern  note"  in  our  garden  literature  to  which  I  have  alluded 
as  characteristic  of  the  glowing  essays  of  Thomas  Starr  King  was  also 
manifest  in  some  California  writings  of  Dr.  Bushnell.  Then  it  found 
fuller  expression  in  the  pages  of  the  Overland  Monthly,  where  Muir,  the 
Le  Contes,  Avery,  Williams,  Miss  Coolbrith,  Bartlett,  and  Sill,  and  a 
little  later  some  of  Professor  Sill's  pupils,  made  for  a  few  years  a  very 
striking  presentation  of  the  life,  color,  strength,  and  beauty  of  out- 
door California.  A  good  deal  of  the  best  writing  of  this  period  between 
1868  and  1875  appeared  in  the  Bulletin,  Argonaut,  California  Horti- 
culturist, and  Rural  Press.  It  is  notable  historically,  because  it  covers 
the  whole  field.  Nothing  that  is  now  being  written  about  gardens  and 
flowers  is  in  its  way  any  better  than  some  of  the  work,  signed  and 
unsigned,  which  appeared  in  the  Overland  Monthly,  and  in  other  San 
Francisco  publications,  in  the  days  before  the  gaudy  splendors  of  the 
sensational  Sunday  newspapers. 

In  the  way  of  distinctive  floral  publications  we  have  had.  two  of 
importance.  The  first,  the  California  Horticulturist,  founded  by  F.  A. 
Miller  in  1870,  lasted  ten  years.  One  of  its  most  interesting  editors 
was  the  late  E.  J.  Hooper,  one  of  the  owners  of  the  Western  Farmer  and 
Gardener,  established  by  him  in  Cincinnati  in  1839  or  1840.  Plates  of 

304664 


38  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

fruit  and  flowers  colored  by  his  hands  appear  in  early  volumes  of  the 
California  Horticulturist. 

The  still  earlier  and  yet  more  rare  California  Culturist  of  W.  Wads- 
worth,  which  began  with  June.,  1858.,  and  continued  two  years,  con- 
tained a  good  deal  of  floriculture. 

In  May,  1888,  at  Santa  Barbara,  appeared  the  California  Florist, 
an  attractive  publication,  which  soon  moved  to  San  Francisco  and  there 
continued  until  May,  1889.  Since  that  date  outside  of  trade  publica- 
tions, catalogues,  and  occasional  pamphlets  the  floral  interests  of  Cal- 
ifornia have  been  without  a  separate  publication,  but  they  have  never 
lacked  for  space,  whenever  required,  in  other  periodicals. 

There  have  been  few  books  in  the  past  twenty-five  years  which  deal 
other  than  casually  with  the  floral  field,  but  there  have  been  many  and 
excellent  botanies,  chiefly  local,  and  more  are  being  written,  so  that 
before  long  the  whole  field  will  be  covered,  and  brought  down  to  date 
with  revised  nomenclature  and  description.  In  these  brief  limits,  you 
can  not  expect  even  a  partial  bibliography  of  either  the  popular  or  the 
technical  writings  on  California  botany  or  floriculture.  Beginning 
with  the  writings  of  Kellogg,  Bolander,  Lemmon,  Miller,  Ludeman, 
Wickson,  Eixford,  Sievers,  and  others,  the  list  ends  with  the  many 
bright  people  who  write  for  the  press  on  these  topics  at  the  present 
time.  Books  like  Bartlett's  "Breeze  from  the  Woods/'  and  Mary 
Elizabeth  Parson's  "Wild  Flowers  of  California,"  and  sucli  pamphlets 
as  Lyon's  "Gardening  in  California,"  and  Krause's  "Sweet  Pea  Ke- 
view,"  have  a  real  historical  value,  while  Kellogg's  "Forest  Trees/' 
Green's  "West  American  Oaks"  and  "Flora  Franciscana/'  and  last  and 
up  with  the  present  state  of  knowledge  on  the  subject,  is  Jepson's 
"Flora  of  Middle  California,"  which  has  just  issued  from  the  press. 

University  of  California. 


HARDINESS    OF    PALMS.  39 

HAKDINESS    OF    PALMS. 

BY     THOMAS     COMPTON. 

This  paper  will  seem  more  like  a  catalogue  than  an  essay  of  gen- 
eral interest,  but  for  those  who  intend  to  form  a  collection  I  may  be 
able  to  enumerate  a  few  that  were  formerly  placed  on  the  tender  list. 

Having  devoted  most  of  the  past  ten  years  to  the  collecting  of  palms, 
and  experimenting  on  their  hardiness  for  our  climate,  I  will  give  you  a 
short  sketch  of  what  has  been  accomplished.  In  looking  over  back 
lists,  I  find  we  have  experimented  with  about  170  varieties.  Of  that 
number  we  have  succeeded  with  about  120.  They  are  not  all  a  brilliant 
success,  but  we  are  assured  they  will  stand  our  climate. 

It  must  be  understood  that  the  experimental  grounds  are  in  a  favored 
spot,  nearly  exempt  from  frost.  This  paper  does  not  intend  to  treat 
of  cultivation,  but  I  will  say  in  passing,  all  palms  do  best  with  us  in 
a  sandy  soil  with  perfect  drainage.  Never  plant  any  but  the  very 
hardiest  on  a  hard-pan,  or  you  are  likely  to  lose  them  after  the  first 
continued  rain-storm.  Palms  will  stand  considerable  cold  if  the  roots 
are  in  the  right  kind  of  soil,  and  for  the  more  tender  varieties  a  little 
nursing,  with  some  protection  during  cold  spells,  will  be  necessary  to 
success. 

On  this  place  we  have  thirty-four  varieties  of  the  Phoenix,  and  all 
are  perfectly  hardy,  with  the  exception  of  P.  Eupicola,  and  it  improves 
from  year  to  year.  A  description  of  those  varieties  might  not  interest 
any  but  a  collector,  so  I  will  only  mention  a  few  of  the  most  rare  and 
interesting. 

Phcenix  claims  our  interest  more  than  any  other  family  of  palms, 
as  it  furnishes  food  for  a  large  portion  of  the  human  family,  and  its 
decorative  possibilities  are  unlimited.  We  have  the  great  giants  of  the 
forest,  130  feet  high,  down  to  the  little  dwarfs  whose  leaves  and  trunk 
combined  do  not  extend  over  two  feet,  and  varieties  reaching  any  desired 
height  between  the  two  extremes. 

Where  palms  are  planted  for  ornamental  purposes,  always  consult  a 
competent  landscape  gardener,  as  those  who  plant  palms  ought  to  keep 
posterity  in  view,  as  the  date  does  not  reach  maturity  until  it  is  seventy- 
five  years  of  age,  and  it  takes  at  least  ten  years  to  get  a  plant  large 
enough  to  be  a  feature  in  the  grounds.  I  consider  the  selection  of  a 
place  for  a  palm  is  as  important  as  that  of  a  house  site,  and  none  but  an 
artist  should  be  consulted  about  location. 

P.  Eobielena,  a  recent  introduction  from  South  Africa,  is  one  of  the 
daintiest  of  the  family;  it  has  only  to  be  seen  to  be  appreciated.  Un- 
fortunately, it  is  very  rare.  I  believe  we  have  the  only  one  on  the 


40  PACIFIC    STATES    I'LOUAL    CONGRESS. 

coast,  and  I  am  uot  aware  of  its  being  in  the  market  yet.  P.  Humili, 
another  introduction  from  South  Africa,  is  a  dwarf,  height  about  fifteen 
feet,  with  leaves  about  ten  feet  long,  a  glaucous  mass,  a  gem.  Those 
two  are  very  suitable  for  formal  planting.  P.  liupicola,  though  a  lit- 
tle tender,  should  be  planted,  as  it  is  very  graceful,  and  has  a  distinct 
character  and  beauty  of  its  own.  The  date  can  be  grown  pretty  gen- 
erally over  southern  California,  and  I  think  north  of  San  Francisco,  in 
selected  places.  The  best  dates  I  have  seen  were  eight  miles  below 
Yuma,  on  the  Colorado  Eiver.  They  are  about  thirty  years  old,  and 
produce  fruit  abundantly,  some  of  the  bunches  weighing  fifty  pounds. 

Cocos. — Of  this  family  we  grow  about  twenty-seven  varieties,  all 
except  Weedliana  in  the  open  garden,  and  consider  them  the  most  satis- 
factory family  we  have.  The  Australia  type,  of  which  we  have  four- 
teen varieties,  will  do  well  under  any  conditions  that  will  suit  the  date. 
I  hope  to  see  them  more  generally  planted  as  they  become  better  known. 
The  Plumosa  type  is  not  quite  so  hardy,  but  all  succeed  well  here. 
C.  Plumosa  will  make  a  plant  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  high  in  five  years. 
I  know  no  other  palm  so  fast-growing.  Some  of  the  other  varieties  of 
the  same  type  as  C.  Plumosa  are  equally  as  good  growers,  and  much 
prettier.  C.  Botryophora,  C.  Flexuosa,  and  C.  Datall,  in  the  order 
named,  I  prefer  to  Plumosa.  C.  Datall  is  undoubtedly  the  hardiest  of 
the  lot.  It  holds  its  foliage  well  through  the  winter;  the  others  are  apt 
to  brown  a  little. 

Howea,  of  this  beautiful  family  of  palms,  we  grow  four  varieties. 
They  are  all  a  little  tender,  but  with  care  for  the  first  two  years  after 
planting  will  succeed.  H.  Fosteryana  seems  to  be  the  most  hardy. 
There  are  plants  of  this  variety  about  ten  years  old  in  Montecito,  over 
ten  feet  high,  and  are  exceedingly  pretty  and  graceful.  H.  Belmoreana, 
H.  Canterburyana,  are  equally  pretty,  but  our  plants  are  still  small 
yet.  H.  McAurtheri  is  a  tall,  slim  trunk  variety  that  promises  to  be 
very  graceful,  and  will  be  a  conspicuous  feature  in  any  well-arranged 
group. 

Areca.— Of  this  class  we  have  tried  quite  a  number.     A.  Bauri  and 
A.  Sapeda    are  the  only  ones  that  have  proved  hardy;  those  two  do 
remarkably  well  here.     A.  Verschafelti  does  fairly  well!     I  would  not 
Jcommend  it  for  general  planting;  no  others  of  this  family  have  suc- 
ceeded with  me. 

Acanthophcenix  Alexandria  with   us   is  perfectly  hardy;  ripens  its 
eed  and  makes  a  very  striking  effect.     A.   Cunninghamea   is  equally 
hardy,  but  a  much  more  graceful  habit,  and  produces  fine  specimens  in 
a  few  years.     It  is  very  desirable  wherever  it  can  be  grown 

Chanm-ops  are  probably  the  most  hardy  of  all  the  families  of  palms, 
and  seem  quite  at  home  here,  making  beautiful  groups. 


HARDINESS    OF    PALMS.  41 

The  Trachacarpos,  with  their  garden  hybrids,  form  quite  a  group  in 
themselves,  many  of  which  are  very  pretty.  They  are  equally  hardy  as 
the  Chamserops,  to  which  they  are  closely  allied.  They  have  good  con- 
stitutions, and  are  excellent  for  decorative  purposes,  either  in  the 
ground  or  in  pots  for  indoor  purposes. 

Of  the  sabals  we  grow  seventeen  varieties.  So  far  as  I  can  form  an 
opinion,  they  are  all  very  hardy ;  neither  wet  nor  cold  seems  to  hurt  them. 
There  is  only  one  drawback  to  their  general  planting,  that  is  they  are 
very  slow  in  forming  a  trunk;  but  when  once  the  trunk  is  formed,  they 
make  a  rapid  growth,  and  many  of  them  make  noble  plants;  others  are 
dwarf,  and  some  do  not  make  a  trunk  at  all.  But  I  find  them  very 
useful  for  edgings  for  tropical  groups,  and  they  will  succeed  fairly 
well  with  very  little  water. 

The  Livistonias  are  a  very  decorative  class  of  palms,  L.  Australis 
being  very  hardy  here.  L.  Chinensis  is  equally  hardy,  but  of  a  much 
slower  growth  and  very  desirable.  L.  Hoogendorpia  is  still  much  slower. 
but  I  would  put  it  in  every  collection  where  it  will  grow,  as  it  has  a  dis- 
tinct character  of  its  own,  and  will  attract  attention.  L.  Marie,  a  recent 
introduction  from  Australia,  comes  with  a  fine  character  for  hardiness, 
and  I  can  say  it  is  very  pretty,  but  our  plants  are  too  small  to  say  more 
of  it.  L.  Jenkinsiana  is  hardy  and  a  beautiful  variety ;  L.  Eotondif olia, 
dwarf,  compact,  very  fine  for  table  decorations;  L.  Oliviformis,  distinct 
and  fine.  There  are  numerous  others,  some  of  them  very  beautiful,  but 
unfortunately  they  need  the  greenhouse.  Only  one  of  the  Livistonias 
is  of  quick  growth  out-of-doors,  and  those  who  wish  early  effects  would 
better  leave  them  out. 

Attalea  Cohune. — A  very  striking  palm,  somewhat  resembling  the 
Cocos  Plumosa,  but  not  so  fast  a  grower.  Our  plants  are  still  small, 
but  enough  is  known  to  say  they  can  be  grown  out-of-doors  with  very 
promising  results.  A.  Spectabilis  reaches  a  height  of  100  feet  in  its 
native  habitat.  A.  Speciosa,  a  very  showy  palm,  height  70  feet;  A. 
Compacta,  28  feet.  We  do  not  look  for  such  results  as  this  in  Santa 
Barbara;  still,  we  are  confident  in  time  to  have  some  very  fine  speci- 
mens. 

Caroxylon  Andicola  and  C.  Nieveum  are  still  in  the  experimental 
stage.  I  have  about  made  up  my  mind  that  they  will  succeed  out-of- 
doors,  but  will  be  slow.  This  is  the  palm  that  produces  the  vegetable 
wax,  and  is  quite  rare. 

Astrocareum  Argentum  is  the  only  one  of  this  family  I  have  tried. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  ornamental  of  the  silvery  palms,  and  though  a  lit- 
tle tender  at  first,  seems  to  do  better  as  it  gets  more  acclimated.  There 
is  one  Astrocareum  in  the  city  of  Santa  Barbara  about  fifteen  feet  in 
height, — the  most  striking  plant  to  my  mind  in  the  county, — but  so  far 
I  have  not  been  able  to  find  out  what  variety  it  is. 


42  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

Chamedoras.— Of  these  we  have  tried  a  number  with  very  poor  suc- 
cess. C.  Elator  is  said  to  stand  the  sun ;  with  me  it  has  not  lived  up  to 
its  reputation,  as  I  find  it  does  better  in  the  shade,  as  do  all  the  Chame- 
doras. We  grow  a  number  of  them,  but  will  not  enumerate  them,  as 
for  outdoor  purposes  they  are  very  unsatisfactory,  though  for  green- 
house growing  they  are  elegant. 

Oreodoxea  Eegia. — After  a  good  many  trials  and  losses  we  have  at 
last  got  a  plant  about  ten  feet  high  with  a  good,  stout  trunk.  It  gets 
very  seedy  in  winter,  and  takes  the  balance  of  the  year  to  recover.  It 
adds  one  to  a  collection,  but  though  one  of  the  most  beautiful  palms 
in  its  home,  with  us  it  is  not  a  brilliant  success. 

Cocos  Nuciferea  has  been  tried  here  by  various  parties,  myself 
included.  So  far  I  know  of  no  success.  I  have  not  given  up  hope, 
and  mean  to  try  again  and  again. 

Of  the  Cycads,  C.  Cycus  Keveluta  is  hardy,  and  we  have  some  fine 
specimens  around.  C.  Circinalis  is  a  little  tender,  but  struggles  along 
fairly  well,  and  makes  noble  plants  if  given  the  protection  of  a  cool  house 
in  winter.  C.  Kumphii — my  plant  is  small,  but  promises  to  be  hardy. 
Of  this  variety  I  have  great  expectations.  Encephalartos  Lehmanni 
needs  protection.  What  a  pity,  as  it  would  be  such  a  beautiful  feature 
in  the  formal  garden!  Macrozemea  Spiralis  is  hardy,  but  slow,  as  is 
also  M.  Elegantissima.  The  Cycads  are  all  of  very  slow  growth.  To 
get  any  benefit  from  them  in  one's  lifetime  one  should  use  large  plants ; 
either  that,  or  plant  for  the  coming  generations.  Brahea  Tilifera  is 
so  well  known  that  remarks  on  its  character  are  superfluous,  but  if  I 
may  make  a  remark  on  it,  would  say  that  it  is  altogether  too  generally 
planted,  to  the  exclusion  of  much  finer  varieties.  Brachea  Calcarata, 
B.  Dulcis,  and  another  variety  from  Sonora,  Mexico,  that,  so  far  as  I 
know,  has  no  name,  are  all  superior  to  B.  Filifcra,  and  when  better 
known  will  be  more  generally  planted. 

Erethea  Armata  and  E.  Edulis  are  very  hardy  palms,  and  very 
ornamental,  particularly  E.  Armata,  which  is  a  glaucous  mass  of  foliage, 
and  distinct  from  all  other  palms.  I  consider  it  one  of  the  most  useful 
we  have. 

Euterpe  Edule,  from  the  Amazon,  is  growing  splendidly  in  our 
collection.  It  is  about  nine  years  old,  and  about  six  feet  high,  though 
not  as  graceful  as  in  its  native  home.  I  consider  it  a  distinct  success 
and  very  interesting,  as  its  home  is  tropical. 

Our  collection  includes  many  more  varieties,  but  as  the  plants  are 
small  and  still  in  the  experimental  department,  their  hardiness  not 
being  assured,  we  will  leave  them  for  a  future  occasion.  Enough  has 
been  enumerated  to  keep  the  maker  of  a  collection  busy  for  a  few  years 
at  least. 

Montecito,  Cal. 


THE     SHRUBS     OF     CALIFORNIA.  -]•> 

THE    SHRUBS    OF    CALIFORNIA. 

BY   ALICE   EASTWOOD. 

Everywhere  throughout  California  are  great  tracts  of  country  cov- 
ered with  brush,  extending  from  the  hills  of  the  Coast  and  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains  to  the  deserts  and  the  plains.  When  seen  from  the  distance 
on  the  slopes  of  hills  this  brush  looks  like  a  carpet  of  moss,  changing 
in  color  with  the  seasons,  but  always  green.  In  this  tangle  through 
which  the  traveler  finds  it  almost  impossible  to  make  his  way,  where 
there  are  no  trails,  a  great  many  species  and  almost  all  the  characteristic 
genera  of  the  Pacific  Coast  find  their  home.  All  are  beautiful,  espe- 
cially when  in  flower,  and  all  are  worthy  of  cultivation.  Plants  which 
the  European  gardeners  regard  as  their  greatest  treasures  here  grow 
under  our  eyes  continually  without  most  of  us  knowing  them  by  any 
other  name  than  brush,  chaparral,  or  chamisal.  It  would  be  difficult 
to  discriminate  among  these  beautiful  shrubs,  since  all  have  peculiar 
qualities  which  endear  them  to  the  lovers  of  flowers  and  nature. 

When  one  begins  to  think  of  what  these  gardens  of  brush  contain, 
the  impression  is  of  a  wonderfully  rich  flora,  suggesting  the  most  inter- 
esting and  perplexing  problems.  Nowhere  do  plants  show  so  many  ways 
of  resisting  drought,  fires,  and  destruction  through  the  agency  of  man 
and  beast.  The  spiny  or  thorny  stems  that  result  from  inability  to  pro- 
duce abundant  foliage,  the  viscid  and  woolly  coverings  which  keep  the 
moisture  from  evaporating  too  rapidly,  the  matted  roots  which  prevent 
the  water  from  all  running  down  the  hills  at  once  in  the  heavy  storms, 
the  protection  which  the  united  and  intricately-connected  stems  cover- 
ing vast  areas,  give  to  the  moisture-laden  earth,  preventing  too  rapid 
evaporation — these  are  all  instances  of  adaptation  to  environment  and 
working  together  for  the  common  good. 

Perhaps  the  best  way  to  untangle  this  brush  heap  is  to  take  up  the 
different  groups  of  plants  according  to  families,  with  reference  to  their 
abundance  and  importance  in  the  landscape  rather  than  the  latest 
systematic  arrangement. 

Six  species  of  scrub  oaks*  abound  in  California,  and  are  generally 
spoken  of  as  chaparral.  Only  onef  of  these  is  found  exclusively  in  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  and  all  except  two  become  trees  in  more  favored  locali- 
ties. On  open,  grassy  hills  near  the  seacoast,  where  the  ocean  winds 
sweep  with  force,  these  oaks  form  mats,  often  covering  the  ground 


*Q.    AVislixeni   A.    DC.;    Q.  chrysolepis    Liebin;    Q.   dumosa   Nutt;    Q.   dum'osa 
var  bullata  Engelm. 

fQ.  Breweri  Engelm;  Q.  Morehus  Kellogg;  Q.    agrifolia  Nee. 


44  PACIFIC    STATES    FLOHAL    CONGRESS. 

over  great  patches.  While  these  have  inconspicuous  flowers,  they  all 
have  "glossy,  evergreen  leaves  almost  as  beautiful  as  holly,  and 
are  most  picturesque  when  laden  with  fruit.  Closely  related  to  the 
oaks  is  the  Cinquapin,  or  California  chestnut.  The  color  of  the  leaf  is 
green  and  gold,  dark,  rich  green  on  the  upper  side  and  gold  on  the  lower. 
In  late  summer  the  stems  are  adorned  with  bunches  of  very  prickly, 
dark  brown  burs.  In  northern  California  it  becomes  a  fine  tree,  but 
as  such  is  quite  rare.  The  hazel,  another  member  of  the  oak  family, 
inhabits  the  stream  banks  more  than  the  hillsides,  though  on  some  of 
the  hills  near  San  Francisco  it  forms  part  of  the  brush.  In  the  spring 
its  gracefully-branched  stems,  laden  with  pendent  catkins,  add  greatly 
to  the  beauty  of  the  landscape. 

Perhaps  no  shrubs  of  the  chaparral  are  so  interesting  and  so  char- 
acteristically Californian  as  the  manzanitas.  The  species  differ  so  in 
different  localities  that  they  arc  at  present  but  little  understood,  and  ii 
is  impossible  to  say  how  many  species  are  to  be  found  in  the  state.  All, 
however,  have  the  same  general  character, — evergreen  leaves  of  tough 
texture,  stiff  and  erect  or  spreading,  mahogany-colored  stems  almost 
glossy  in  their  smoothness,  and  oftentimes  great  panicles  of  rosy  or 
pearly-white  bells,  like  lilies-of-the-valley.  honey  scented,  full  of  attrac- 
tion for  the  bees  and  other  insects.  Some  species  begin  to  bloom  soon 
after  the  first  rains  have  fallen,  in  October  or  November,  and  from  then 
until  May  in  the  Coast  Mountains  and  until  June  or  July  in  the  Sierrn 
Nevada,  the  succession  is  kept  up.  There  are  no  more  attractive  flowers, 
typical  of  the  purity  and  innocence  of  the  infancy  of  the  new  year.  In 
the  late  summer  the  fruit  becomes  ripe.  When  the  berries  are  fully 
grown,  but  not  fully  ripe,  they  resemble  tiny,  rosy-cheeked  apples.  From 
this  appearance  comes  the  name  "manzanita,"  or  little  apple.  A  great 
part  of  the  winter  nourishment  of  the  birds  and  beasts  comes  from  these 
fruits,  which  persist  until  the  bushes  are  almost  ready  for  the  next 
season  of  flowering. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  species  is  Arctostapliylos  Stanfordiana 
Parry,  which  grows  on  the  hills  of  Lake,  Sonoma,  Mendocino,  and  Napa 
Counties.  The  flowers  are  smaller  than  in  the  other  species,  of  a  deeper 
rose  color,  with  delicately-branched  panicles  and  slender  stems.  The 
foliage  is  dark  green,  forming. a  fine  setting  for  the  lovely  floAver  clus- 
ters. Some  species  form  queer-looking  trees,  with  short  trunks  spread- 
ing into  stout  branches,  which  divide  and  subdivide  so  that  the  result 
is  a  low  tree  with  spreading  top,  scarcely  a  true  tree,  though  the  trunk 
is  quite  distinct. 

.  Besides  the  manzanitas  belonging  to  the  heather  family  are  many 
other  shrubs  more  generally  cultivated  and  more  showy.  Tho  aznloti 
and  the  rhododendron  are  the  best  known.  In  the  northern  Pacific 


THE     SHRUBS     OF     CALIFORNIA.  45 

states  the  latter  is  more  abundant  than  it  is  in  California.  It  covers 
great  areas,  and  it  is  a  sight  worth  many  miles  of  travel  to  see  it  when 
in  full  bloorn.  On  Mount  Tamalpais,  where  it  is  rather  rare  and  forms 
part  of  the  brush,  it  looks  like  a  garden  of  roses.  The  large  rose-colored 
llowers  in  great  bunches,  surrounded  by  the  glossy  evergreen  leaves, 
make  a  gorgeous  bouquet.  The  azalea,  if  not  quite  so  showy,  is  perhaps 
more  attractive  to  many  on  account  of  its  perfume.  The  rhododendron 
is  without  odor.  At  all  seasons  of  the  year  the  azalea  can  be  found  in 
bloom  on  Mount  Tamalpais.  In  May  it  is  beginning  to  bloom  in  the 
canyons,  and  generally  along  the  streams ;  but  in  the  fall  and  winter  the 
clumps  that  grow  near  springs  burst  into  bloom  all  over  the  dry  stems, 
and  the  flowers  look  like  stars  from  a  distance.  The  leaves  of  the  azalea 
turn  the  most  beautiful  shades  of  yellow,  red,  and  brown  in  the  fall, 
and  can  be  easily  distinguished  amid  the  other  brush.  There  are  two 
varieties,  one  with  white  flowers  marked  in  the  throat  with  yellow,  the 
other  rose-color,  with  similar  markings  in  the  throat. 

The  huckleberry  (Vaccinum  ovatum  Pursh)  and  salal  (Gaultheria 
Shallon  Pursli]  must  not  be  forgotten.  Both  have  beautiful  foliage, 
and  are  used  for  household  decoration  to  an  increasing  degree.  On  the 
hills  of  Marin  County  in  the  spring  the  young  foliage  is  a  bright  scar- 
let, and  can  be  seen  from  a  great  distance.  The  flowers  are  lovely,  and 
the  fruit  of  both  excellent. 

The  Ceanothi,  or  California  lilacs,  are  found  in  abundance  and 
variety,  and  form  a  great  part  of  the  chaparral.  In  this  group  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  exactly  define  the  species  or  to  say  how  many 
species  there  are.  No  two  botanists  can  be  found  to  agree  in  regard  to 
their  number  or  identity.  California  lilac  is  perhaps  the  most  gener- 
ally used  common  name,  but  in  different  localities  they  are  called  by 
other  titles,  such  as  blue  blossoms,  red  root,  snow  bush,  etc.  Some  of 
them  become  tall  trees,  while  some  lie  flat  along  the  ground,  forming 
mats,  known  as  mahala  mats.  When  in  bloom  the  different  species  are 
among  the  most  beautiful  of  the  flowering  shrubs.  The  flowers  are 
small,  but  grow  in  such  profusion  on  the  bushes,  in  panicles  terminating 
the  branches,  or  in  bunches  all  over  the  stems,  that  they  are  most  con- 
spicuous; and  as  the  different  species  follow  each  other  in  their  periods 
of  bloom,  often,  however,  overlapping,  they  are  among  the  chief  agents 
in  giving  varying  color  to  the  ever-changing  carpet  of  the  hills.  From 
a  great  distance,  even,  different  species  can  be  distinguished  by  the  color 
of  the  hill  slopes.  The  white  ones  look  like  snow  over  the  bushes,  the 
blue  ones  seem  to  reflect  the  sky  in  their  azure,  while  the  lavender  and 
purple-flowered  species,  while  less  striking,  are  equally  beautiful  and 
as  readily  distinguished. 

The  Ehamnus,  or  coffee  berry,  belongs  to  the  same  family.     Besides 


46  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

the  species  known  commonly  as  Cascara  Sagrada,  there  are  others  with 
much  the  same  character  medicinally.  The  most  beautiful  species  of 
Ehamnus*  is  one  not  included  under  Cascara  Sagrada.  Instead  of  pur- 
ple-black berries,  this  species  has  berries  of  a  bright  scarlet,  and  the 
bushes  look  more  like  true  holly  when  in  fruit  than  any  other  Californian 
shrub.  I  remember  seeing  a  bush  once  in  the  foot-hills  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  with  glossy,  spiny,  evergreen  leaves,  and  the  stems  so  thickly 
laden  with  fruit  that  nothing  of  the  stem  could  be  seen. 

One  shrub  is  especially  dreaded  by  all  who  have  to  explore  the  un- 
broken thickets.  This  is  known  as  spiny  chaparral,  or  needle  bush. 
Botanists  call  it  Pickeringia  or  Xylothermia.  It  is  beset  all  over  with 
sharp  thorns,  which  tear  the  clothes  and  lacerate  the  skin  of  those  who 
penetrate  its  fastnesses.  The  foliage  is  pale  green,  the  leaves  small 
and  not  noticeable,  and  the  flowers  crimson  pea  blossoms,  which  clothe 
this  inhospitable  shrub  with  a  glorious  mantle.  It  is  an  ideal  hedge 
plant,  which  would  well  protect  the  fields  around  which  it  might  be 
planted,  for  neither  man  nor  beast  would  dare  to  penetrate  such  a 
rampart.  There  are  several  other  shrubs  belonging  to  the  leguminous 
family,  of  which  the  red  bud  (Cercis  occidentalis  Torr)  is  the  most 
beautiful.  It  is  abundant  in  Lake  and  Mendocino  Counties,  and  in  the 
foot-hills  and  lower  mountains  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  When  it  blooms 
in  the  early  spring,  scarcely  anything  can  be  seen  but  the  crimson  flowers 
thickly  clothing  the  stems,  with  the  tiny  green  leaves  peeping  out  be- 
tween, scarcely  out  of  their  swaddling  buds.  These  leaves  are  almost 
as  beautiful  as  the  flowers  when  they  reach  their  fullest  development. 
In  the  summer  come  the  purple-tinged  pods,  like  autumn  leaves  amid  the 
green  foliage.  The  red  bud  does  not  form  a  part  of  the  chaparral,  gen- 
erally growing  along  the  banks  of  streams  or  in  places  that  do  not 
become  very  dry  in  the  summer. 

The  rose  family  probably  has  more  representatives  among  Califor- 

nian  shrubs  in  both  individuals  and  species  than  any  other.     To  this 

family  belongs  the  Adenostoma,  known  commonly  as  chamisal,  chemise 

brush,  and  greasewood.     Often  it  is  the  only  shrub  over  great  tracts  of 

ountry.     It  has  heather-like  leaves,  and  at  the  tops  of  the  branches  are 

panicles  of   tiny  white   flowers   somewhat    resembling    meadow-sweet. 

•  the  blooming  period  has  passed,  the  panicle  becomes  brown,  and 

color  of  the  landscape  turns  a  rusty  hue,  that  is  onlv  enlivened  by 

°f  an  occasional 


The  Christmas  berry,  or  Toyon,  belongs  also  to  the  rose  family.     Its 
-pamcles  of  white  flowers  change  in  the  fall  to  bunches  of  bright  red 
™s,_so  much  used  for  Christmas  decoration.     This  might  easily  be 
*R.  crocea  Nutt  and  its  varieties. 


THE     SHRUBS     OF     CALIFORNIA.  47 

cultivated,  and  would  make  a  fine  border  for  roads  or  walks.  The  wild 
plums  and  cherries,  the  raspberries  and  blackberries,  the  hard-hack,  or 
Spiraea,  with  its  rosy  plume,  the  feathery  meadow-sweet  (Holodiscus], 
with  its  graceful  panicle  of  innumerable  white  flowers,  tht;  bridal  wreath 
(Physocarpus  or  Neillia),  with  its  long  stems  trailing  over  other  shrubs 
covered  with  corymbs  of  cherry-like  flowers,  later  turning  to  fruits  of 
scarlet,  the  service  berry  (Amelanchier) ,  the  thorn-apple  (Crataegus), 
the  wild  pear  (Pyrus),  and  apple  (Peraphyllum),  the  mountain  ash 
(Sorbus),  and  mountain  mahogany  (Cercocarpus),  all  belong  to  this 
useful  and  beautiful  family. 

Three  highly  decorative  shrubs  come  from  the  poppy  family.  One 
is  the  Dendromecon,  or  yellow-flowered  tree  poppy.  It  never  becomes 
a  true  tree.  It  showers  its  yellow  petals  over  the  other  shrubs,  and 
glorifies  the  brush  by  floating  disks  of  light.  The  flowers  are  numerous, 
and  as  large  as  a  dollar,  except  in  half-starved  specimens,  where  the 
supply  of  water  or  the  nourishment  in  the  soil  is  scarce.  The  Eomnoyas 
are  so  well  known  in  cultivation  that  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  speak  of 
them  as  desirable  plants  to  cultivate.  They  are  amongst  the  most  showy 
of  the  Californian  shrubs,  and  their  great  beauty  makes  them  every- 
where desirable  where  the  climate  is  not  too  cold. 

Three  or  four  species  of  barberry  belong  to  California.  All  have 
compound  leaves,  with  spiny-toothed  leaflets,  bunches  of  yellow  flowers 
at  the  summit  of  the  stems,  and,  later,  purple  berries.  The  latter  give  to 
these  shrubs  the  name  of  Oregon  grape,  and  under  that  name  the  plant  is 
classed  as  one  of  great  medicinal  value. 

In  some  parts  of  California  the  most  prevalent  shrubs  are  species  of 
wild  sage,  known  by  various  names.  They  are  more  common  in  southern 
California,  and  are  the  chief  source  of  the  honey  for  which  California 
is  so  famous.  They  are  not  especially  noted  for  beauty,  and  would 
scarcely  be  considered  worthy  of  cultivation. 

In  the  mallow  family  there  are  several  species  of  shrubs.  The  one 
known  as  tree  mallow  (Lavatera  assurgentiflora  Kellogg]  is  familiar  to 
every  one,  it  is  so  generally  used  for  hedges  around  the  vegetable  gar- 
dens in  San  Francisco.  It  is  known  in  a  native  state  only  on  the  islands 
off  the  coast  of  California,  where  the  genus  Lavatera  is  also  represented 
by  other  species.  This  genus  is  found  nowhere  else  in  North  America, 
all  the  other  Lavateras  being  confined  to  the  region  of  the  Mediterranean 
and  the  islands  off  the  southern  European  coast. 

Besides  this  interesting  genus,  there  are  different  species  of  Malvas- 
trum  in  different  parts  of  the  state,  some  of  them  very  attractive  when  in 
flower.  The  flowers  of  all  are  either  pink  or  white. 

Nearly  related  to  these  members  of  the  Mallow  family  is  one  of  the 
most  gorgeous  shrubs  to  be  found  anywhere.  This  is  the  Fremontia,. 


48  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

often  called  wild  slippery  elm.  This  name  is  given  to  it  because  its 
bark  resembles  that  of  the  slippery  elm.  The  beauty  of  the  leaves 
comes  to  those  who  look  closely,  but  the  flowers  can  be  seen  from  a 
distance.  They  are  as  large  as  twenty-dollar  pieces,  but  more  golden 
and  shining.  The  arrangement  of  the  stamens  is  beautiful.  The 
flowers  clothe  the  stems  so  that  they  look  like  golden  wands  swaying  in 
the  breeze.  This  shrub  is  not  so  common  in  the  Coast  Mountains  as 
in  the  Sierra  Nevada,  nor  so  beautiful. 

Two  species  of  syringa,  or  mock  orange,  grow  in  California.  While 
the  flowers  are  not  so  large  as  in  the  cultivated  species,  they  are  no  less 
lovely.  The  showy,  white  flowers  are  in  panicles  or  racemes  at  the 
summits  of  the  stems.  Somewhat  similar  to  the  Philadelphus  or 
syringa  is  the  styrax.  The  flowers  are  of  the  same  color  and  even 
greater  profusion.  The  blossoms  hang  like  snowy  bells.  It  reminds 
one  of  orange  blossoms,  but,  of  course,  has  not  the  characteristic  odor. 
Belonging  to  the  saxifrage  family  there  is  a  shrub  growing  wild  in 
Fresno  County,  which  is  perhaps  the  rarest  known  in  California.  It 
is  really  better  known  in  Europe  than  here,  though  not  well  known 
anywhere.  It  has  large  white  flowers  like  the  Cherokee  rose,  and  is 
known  as  Carpenteria.  I  have  never  seen  this,  though  I  have  been 
told  that  it  grows  and  has  bloomed  in  the  botanical  garden  at  the 
University  of  California.  The  wild  currants  and  gooseberries  also 
belong  to  the  saxifrage  family,  and  those  native  to  California  are  the 
most  beautiful  species  to  be  found  anywhere.  There  is  one  common  in 
southern  California  which  is  full  of  small  red  flowers  like  tiny 
fuchsia  (Ribes  speciosum).  That  which  is  commonly  known  as  the 
flowering  currant  begins  to  bloom  soon  after  the  rains  commence,  and 
in  different  localities  the  blooming  period  is  kept  up  until  late  in  the 
spring. 

The  dogwood  family  furnishes,  besides  the  common  flowering  dog- 
wood and  the  beautiful  tree  known  as  Cornus  Nuttallii,  two  or  three 
species  of  a  most  peculiar  shrub.  It  is  known  botanically  as  Garrya; 
the  common  name  is  quinine  bush,  fringe  bush,  or  silk-tassel  tree.  It 
is  quite  different  in  appearance  from  any  other  member  of  the  dog- 
wood family,  and  has  been  considered  by  some  botanists  as  the  type  of 
a  distinct  family.  Its  nearest  relatives  are  natives  of  the  West  Indies, 
and  therefore  this  is  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  ancient  types  which  have 
been  preserved  in  California.  The  names  by  which  it  is  commonly 
known  arise  from  the  bitter  juice  like  quinine,  and  from  the  fringe-like 
clusters  of  gray-green  flowers  which  hang  in  sreat  profusion  on  the 
branches.  It  is  one  of  the  first  shrubs  to  be  in  bloom,  often  before 
Christmas.  The  male  and  female  flowers  are  not  on  the  same  bush, 
the  former  being  the  more  abundant  and  beautiful,  as  is  generally  the 


THE     SHRUBS     OF     CALIFORNIA.  49 

case  with  flowers  that  are  pollinated  by  the  wind.  It  comes  at  a  time 
when  flowers  are  not  especially  abundant.  Its  gracefully  pendant  tas- 
sels of  fringe  clothe  it  all  over,  and  it  looks  like  an  inhabitant  of 
another  sphere. 

The  flowering  ash  (Fraxinm  diphylla)  must  be  classed  among  the 
shrubs,  for  though  it  sometimes  reaches  the  height  of  an  ordinary  tree, 
it  seldom  has  a  distinct  trunk.  The  flowers  in  this  species  are  white  and 
small,  but  in  many  panicles,  and  the  effect  is  as  if  a  veil  were  thrown 
over  the  bush.  This  shrub  grows  along  the  banks  of  streams,  and  does 
not  enter  into  the  chaparral  area. 

On  the  desert  the  shrubs  differ  according  to  the  character  of  the 
soil.'  Where  it  is  alkaline,  plants  belonging  to  the  Chenopodiacese  and 
Composite  are  the  chief  representatives.  They  are  generally  known 
as  sage-brush  and  greasewood.  Where  the  soil  is  not  especially  alka- 
line, the  class  of  shrubs  is  entirely  different.  The  rose  family  has 
some  beautiful  representatives,  also  the  saxifrage  family;  but  there 
is  one  plant  which  is  considered  more  distinctively  typical  of  the 
desert  than  any  other,  and  that  is  the  creosote  bush,  or  Larrea  tridentata. 
This  is  viscid  all  over,  and  has  an  odor  much  like  creosote.  The  flowers 
are  abundant  in  the  right  season,  and  the  fruits  are  feathery. 

In  the  figwort  family  there  are  many  shrubby  Pentstemons,  which 
might,  perhaps,  be  overlooked,  as  they  are  not  large  and  tall.  The 
flowers  are  very  showy,  and  there  is  a  great  variety  in  the  species.  The 
shrubs,  however,  in  this  family  which  most  deserve  attention  are  the 
species  of  Diplacus,  known  as  monkey  flower.  The  commonest  species 
is  always  in  bloom,  and  were  it  not  so  common  and  so  constantly  in 
bloom,  we  would  perhaps  appreciate  it  more.  It  has  generally  an 
abundance  of  orange-colored  two-lipped  flowers.  One  species  which 
grows  in  southern  California  has  the  flowers  red  instead  of  orange,  and 
there  are'  several  species  that  are  less  known  in  which  the  flowers  are 
large,  beautifully  shaped,  and  of  a  delicate  buff  or  yellow. 

The  Conifene  sometimes  form  areas  of  brush.  This  is  likely  to 
occur  where  the  soil  is  poor  and  the  winds  are  heavy  from  one  direc- 
tion. This  is  shown  by  the  form  of  some  of  the  Conifers  at  timber- 
line,  and  by  thickets  of  cypress  which  occur  occasionally  on  the  Coast 
Mountains.  On  the  hills  above  San  Geronimo,  in  Marin  County,  there 
is  such  an  area,  and  the  appearance  is  most  strange.  One  genus  belong- 
ing to  a  related  family  is  always  a  shrub.  This  is  the  Ephedra,  of 
which  there  are  several  species  in  California,  confined  principally  to 
the  desert  regions.  This  is  an  odd-looking  plant,  consisting  of  slender, 
straight  stems  without  leaves.  It  resembles  £he  Equisetums  more  than 
other  plants  which  are  generally  known.  These  shrubs  grow  in  erect 
clumps,  or  spread  over  the  ground. 


50  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL"  CONGRESS. 

These  brush  gardens  which  form  so  important  a  part  of  the 
flora  of  California,  and  are  so  characteristic  of  the  Californian  land- 
scape, find  their  counterpart  in  other  lands.  The  heaths  of  England 
and  Scotland  have  a  similar  character,  but  there  is  less  variety  in  the 
species.  As  the  name  suggests,  the  shrubs  belong  chiefly  to  the  heather 
family. 

The  bush  land  of  southern  Africa  is  probably  more  like  our  chapar- 
ral in  appearance,  and,  like  it,  contains  a  great  variety  of  species  and 
peculiar  genera  belonging  chiefly  to  the  Ericaceae,  Leguminosae,  and 
Polygalaceae. 

In  southern  Europe  there  is  a  similar  vegetation  known  as  Maqui. 
This  consists  of  many  species  of  Cistus,  Helianthemum,  Spartium,  -and 
Genista  chiefly. 

In  Russia  there  are  areas  similar  to  our  deserts  known  as  alkali 
steppes,  where  arborescent  Chenopodiaceas  abound,  together  with  Le- 
guminosae  and  Zygophyllum. 

The  Australian  scrub  is  perhaps  the  most  peculiar  of  all,  and  con-: 
tains  the  greatest  variety  and  the  most  interesting  plants.  We  have 
come  to  know  many  of  them,  as  they  are  among  our  most  prized  shrubs 
in  cultivation, — the  acacias,  the  different  peculiar  Myrtaceae,  such  as 
the  bottle  brushes  and  the  leptospermums.  There  are  great  areas  in 
Australia  where  one  kind  will  predominate  almost  to  the  exclusion  of 
all  others.  Such  areas,  when  covered  with  a  species  of  eucalyptus,  are 
known  as  malles. 

Perhaps  the  reason  why  we  do  not  care  to  cultivate  our  own  native 
shrubs  is  because  we  can  have  them  without  cultivation,  and  we  think 
it  more  desirable  to  furnish  our  gardens  and  parks  with  plants  which 
could  not  otherwise  be  known  to  the  great  mass  of  the  people.     There 
is  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of  that  view,  but  it  ought  not  to  obscure 
our  minds  to  the  plants  which  we  have  at  home,  and  which  are  as  beau- 
tiful and  equally  worthy  of  our  attention  and  care. 
California  Academy  of  Sciences, 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 


ESCHSCHOLTZIA.  51 

ESCHSCHOLTZIA. 

BY   VOLNEY   RATTAN. 

It  is  fitting  that  we  should  devote  a  few  minutes  this  afternoon 
to  the  character  and  history  of  the  plant  which  has  been  chosen  as  the 
emblem  of  our  state.  The  members  of  a  floral  society  are,  I  am  sure, 
ready  to  give  not  minutes,  merely,  but  hours  to  the  study  of  each  of 
the  many  floral  native  daughters  of  the  "Golden  West,"  who  beautify 
not  only  the  wilds,  which  we  seek  in  our  vacations,  but  with  the  dust 
of  civilization  in  their  eyes,  smile  upon  us  from  the  waysides  of  our 
populous  suburbs.  Flower  lovers  are  ready  to  give  more  than  a  pass- 
ing glance  to  the  baerias,  which  carpet  the  smooth  slopes  of  the  Mission 
hills;  the  collinsias  and  arabis  among  the  rocks;  the  slender  hosackias 
fringing  the  street-cuts,  and  trailing  over  natural  banks;  white  ortho- 
carpus  like  popcorn  sown  over  moist  flats;  rosy  gilias  along  the  rail- 
way, and  yellow  cenotheras  everywhere.  That  flowers  be  more  to  us 
tfian  to  him  of  whom  the  poet  wrote, — 

"The  primrose  by  the  river's  brim 
A  yellow  primrose  was  to  him, 
And  it  was  nothing  more," 

we  must  study  them;  we  must  know  them  well. 

In  our  study  of  eschscholtzia,  we  shall  first  take  up  the  history  of 
the  knowledge  of  it  by  civilized  man. 

The  first  European  who  came  anywhere  near  the  region  of  esch- 
scholtzia was  Cortez,  who  visited  the  peninsula  of  California  in  1534. 
It  is  scarcely  possible  that  he  saw  our  plant.  Cabrillo,  the  Portu- 
guese, may  have  seen  it  when  he  landed  at  San  Diego  in  1542;  but  it 
is  not  likely  that  he  knew  it  from  a  buttercup.  Thirty-seven  years 
later  Sir  Francis  Drake  may  have  crushed  eschscholtzias  when  he 
landed  on  this  coast.  It  must  have  been  two  hundred  years  after 
Drake's  visit  that  civilized  people — the  founders  of  our  first  mis- 
sions— began  to  notice  our  state  flower,  and  to  talk  about  it  under 
some  Indian  name,  or  one  of  their  own  making.  Possibly,  some  of 
these  missionaries  were  versed  in  the  lore  of  plants,  and  recognized  its 
relationship  to  the  common  poppy  of  the  Old  World. 

The  first  botanist  who  entered  the  region  of  eschscholtzia  was 
Archibald  Menzies,  who  visited  the  coast  of  Washington  in  1780. 
Since  our  plant  is  rare  so  far  north,  it  is  not  likely  that  he  saw  it. 
Probably  the  first  botanist  to  see  eschscholtzias  was  either  Ifenke  or 
Nee,  who  were  with  the  Spanish  explorer  Malaspina,  when  he  visited 
San  Diego  and  Monterey,  in  1791.  In  November,  the  next  year, 


52  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

Menzies,  with  Vancouver,  visited  this  peninsula,  San  Jose,  and  Mon- 
terey; and  in  the  two  succeeding  years,  stopped  at  Trinidad  and  other 
points  on  this  coast.  Neither  the  Spanish  botanists  nor  Menzies  sent 
specimens  of  eschscholtzia  to  Europe.  In  1806  the  Russian  colonists 
at  Sitka  were  afflicted  with  scurvy.  Rezenoff,  who  was  in  command 
there,  bought  a  brig  of  a  Yankee  trader,  and  came  to  the  San  Fran- 
cisco mission  for  vegetable  food.  Owing  to  the  necessity  of  a  great 
deal  of  diplomacy  (the  Spanish  not  feeling  friendly  toward  the  Rus- 
sians), and  possibly  because  of  a  love  affair  between  the  handsome 
count  and  a  beautiful  senorita — a  romance  familiar  to  those  who  have 
read  the  history  of  San  Francisco — the  brig  Juno  lay  at  anchor  in 
the  Mission  Bay  for  six  weeks,  in  the  months  of  April  and  May. 
Meanwhile,  Dr.  Langsdorff,  a  German  botanist  who  accompanied 
Rezenoff,  botanized  when  circumstances  permitted,  going  once  as  far 
as  Mission  San  Jose.  Having  poor  facilities  for  drying  plants  on 
board  the  little  vessel,  many  specimens  mildewed.  Doubtless  the 
eschscholtzias  were  thus  spoiled  and  thrown  overboard,  for  he  sent  none1 
to  Europe.  In  1815  Romanzoff,  a  Russian  nobleman,  fitted  out  the 
ship  Rurik,  which  he  sent  on  an  exploring  expedition  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Kotzebue,  who  was  expected  to  find,  if  possible,  a 
passage  north  of  America,  connecting  the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  Oceans, 
In  the  interest  of  science,  Adelbert  von  Chamisso  was  made  botanist  of 
the  expedition;  John  Frederick  Eschscholtz,  surgeon  and  naturalist; 
and  Choris,  artist.  Chamisso,  who  was  then  thirty-four  years  old,  had 
just  published  a  very  original  story  (since  translated  into  several  lan- 
guages), entitled  "Peter  Schlemihl."  This  amusing  story  of  a  man 
who  sold  his  shadow,  gave  him  fame  abroad,  but  he  is  better  known 
to  Germans  by  his  lyric  poetry  and  ballads,  as  well  as  by  his  scientific 
work.  Eschscholtz,  but  twenty-two  years  old,  had  already  acquired 
some  distinction  as  a  naturalist;  and  Choris,  two  years  younger,  had 
such  ability  as  enabled  him  in  the  after  years  of  his  short  life  to  become 
one  of  the  distinguished  historical  painters  of  Russia.  Kotzebue,  then 
twenty-eight  years  of  age,  was  a  son  of  a  great  German  dramatist, 
whose  plays  were,  in  his  time,  the  most  popular  in  the  world. 

After  exploring  the  west  and  south  coasts  of  Alaska,  Kotzebue 
came  down  the  coast  and  entered  San  Francisco  Bay,  October  2,  1816. 
Chamisso  and  Eschscholtz  spent  a  month  exploring  "this  peninsula  and 
in  making  expeditions  to  Monterey,  Mission  San  Jose,  and  Bodega. 
Meanwhile,  Choris  drew  and  painted  the  aborigines,  and  other  objects 
new  to  European  eyes.  With  many  other  plants,  they  secured  speci- 
mens of  eschscholtzia,  which  were  the  first  to  reach  Europe.  Upon  their 
return  Chamisso  and  Eschscholtz  began  to  study  the  botanical  and 
zoological  specimens  collected  during  their  long  voyage;  and  from 


ESCHSCHOLTZIA.  Od 

time  to  time  they  published  descriptions  of  new  species  of  plants  and 
animals.  It  was  some  time  in  1820  before  Chamisso  published  a 
description  of  our  state  flower,  under  the  name  which  embalms  that 
of  his  young  friend.  Eschscholtz,  in  turn,  gave  the  specific  name 
Chamissonis  to  the  blue-flowered,  shrubby  lupine,  so  common  on  this 
peninsula.  Chamisso  called  the  white  forget-me-not,  so  common  in 
moist  places,  Myosotis  Chorisiana,  in  honor  of  the  young  artist.  The 
specific  names  of  the  so-called  California  coffee,  California  lilac,  and 
the  common  Solanum  were  given  by  Eschscholtz,  who  also  named 
the  rare  phacelia,  which  has  leaves  bristly  with  stinging  hairs,  like 
those  of  a  nettle.  Our  native  blackberry,  strawberry,  and  rose  were 
named  by  Chamisso,  who  honored  the  promoter  of  the  expedition  by 
giving  the  name  Romanzoffia  to  a  charming  woodland  flower  common 
on  mossy  rocks  by  the  stream  sides  of  Tamalpais.  Thus,  the  treasures 
we  gather  in  our  rambles  are  constant  reminders  of  the  two  naturalists, 
of  the  young  artist,  and  of  the  generous  Eussian  who  sent  them  out 
to  explore  the  west  coast  of  our  country. 

The  choice  of  eschscholtzia  as  the  emblem  of  our  state  was  a  wise 
decision.  Although  forms  of  it  grow  northward  to  Washington,  east- 
ward to  Utah,  and  southward  to  Mexico,  it  reaches  perfection  only 
within  the  limits  of  California.  It  grows  in  every  county  of  the  state. 
It  is  by  far  the  most  conspicuous  of  our  common  herbs,  making  acres 
in  our  valleys  brilliant  in  the  season  of  its  best  growth.  It  blossoms 
continuously  for  a  longer  time  than  any  other  conspicuous  plant.  It 
takes  kindly  to  the  conditions  imposed  by  man,  forming  in  orchards  a 
beautiful  spring  carpet,  which  keeps  the  soil  from  baking,  and  appear- 
ing as  a  lovely  and  harmless  aftermath  in  grain  and  hay  fields.  No 
other  flower  behaves  better  in  a  vase.  The  stems  assume  graceful 
attitudes  toward  each  other,  and  the  petals  fall  before  wilting,  leaving 
the  young  pod  in  a  red-rimmed  cup.  It  changes  its  fashion.  The 
dense  foliage  plumes  and  large  orange  flowers  of  winter  give  place  in 
summer  to  light,  open  plumes  of  a  softer  green  and  small  yellow 
flowers  on  slender  stems.  As  we  study  the  plant,  its  beauty  grows 
upon  us.  The  plume-like  foliage  of  eschscholtzia,  often  tipped  with 
brown  and  red,  surpasses  in  beauty  the  leaves  of  other  plants.  The 
orange  and  yellow  of  the  satiny  flowers,  with  the  pearly  sheen  of  illusive 
high  lights,  is  at  once  the  admiration  and  the  despair  of  artists.  Not 
only  does  eschscholtzia  change  with  the  seasons,  but  it  takes  .on  forms 
to  suit  the  conditions  of  soil  and  climate.  This  tendency  to  variation 
tries  a  botanist  and  delights  a  florist.  The  one  is  puzzled  in  trying 
to  fix  the  limits  of  species;  the  other  is  aided  in  producing  novelties. 

In  conclusion,  let  us  consider  the  names  which  have  been  given  to 
our  flowers.  There  were  probably  many  Indian  names,  but  none  of 


54  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

them  have  come  into  use  either  among  ourselves  or  among  the 
Spanish-speaking  people.  To  call  it  amapola  is  simply  to  call  it  by 
the  Spanish  name  for  the  opium  poppy.  If  we  choose  to  use  such  a 
misnomer, — for  it  is  not  a  poppy, — it  is  manifestly  better  to  call  it 
poppy  in  English.  The  Spanish  name,  meaning  a  cup  of  gold,  can 
never  be  used,  for  as  surely  as  Jamestown-weed  became  Jimson-weed, 
and  the  French  dent  de  lion  became  dandelion,  so  copra-de-oro  would 
in  English-speaking  mouths  become  cupboard-door.  Bentham,  in  1834, 
not  knowing  that  it  had  been  previously  named,  called  it  chryseis, — 
the  golden  plant, — and  Eafinesque  later  gave  it  the  name  omonoia, 
which  signifies  harmony.  It  is  a  pity  we  can  not  use  this  name,  so 
euphonious  and  appropriate.  It  is  too  late  to  impose  any  new  name 
or  to  resurrect  Indian  names  or  such  pretty  Spanish  names  as  dor- 
midera  and  torosa.  Only  two  names  have  come  into  general  use,  Cal- 
ifornia poppy  and  Eschscholtzia.  The  latter  is  found  in  all  diction- 
aries and  cyclopedias, — so  famous  is  our  state  flower.  The  former  is 
the  absurd  name  most  commonly  used.  Though  our  plant  is  not  a 
P°PPy?  the  name  Avill  probably  persist.  We  can  not  at  will  drop  a 
name.  The  worse  it  is,  the  more  sure  it  is  to  stick.  Since  Esch- 
scholtzia is  the  authoritative  name,  the  name  by  which  the  educated  of 
all  nations  know  it,  the  name  about  which  cluster  so  many  pleasant 
facts,  we  should  encourage  its  use.  Let  us  call  our  state  flower  Esch- 
scholtzia. 

Normal  School,  San  Jose,  Gal. 


NATIVE    ANNUALS    OF    THE    PACIFIC    STATES. 

BY    MRS.     W.     H.     WIESTER. 

The  subject  assigned  me  for  this  occasion  is  one  of  interest  to  all 
lovers  of  nature. 

I  shall  not  undertake  to  discuss  our  native  annuals  in  a  scientific 
manner,  but  will  leave  that  pleasing  task  to  the  professional  botanist. 
He  can  enter  into  detail  as  regards  their  order  and  genera.  He  will 
describe  their  roots  and  stems  and  leaves  and  tissue,  corolla,  calyx, 
pistil,  and  stamens.  He  will  discourse  about  exogens  and  endogens, 
and  tell  you  all  about  gamopetalae,  polypetalse,  monopetalse,  and  com- 
positae.  It  will  be  my  province  to  treat  the  subject  from  the  stand- 
point of  beauty  and  utility. 

The  annuals  form  a  very  important  and  pleasing  feature  of  the 
states.  The  attractiveness  of  our  early  spring  landscapes  is 

5dy  due  to  the  ephemeral  beauty  of  their  dainty  blossoms  scattered 
Broadcast  with  luxurious  abandon  by  Flora's  generous  hand 


NATIVE    ANNUALS    OF    THE    PACIFIC    STATES.  55 

As  early  as  December,  after  the  warm  autumn  rains  have  moistened 
the  earth,  the  little  seeds  which  have  lain  dormant  during  the  long 
drought  of  the  summer  months,  begin  to  swell,  and  thousands  of  tiny 
plants  push  their  tender  shoots  up  to  revel  in  the  .  warmth  of  the 
sunshine;  some  of  these  are  soon  crowned  with  flowers. 

In  January  a  large  number  make  their  appearance,  and  during  the 
months  of  February,  March,  and  April  we  have  a  royal  feast  of  these 
frail  but  charming  gifts  of  nature,  flowers  of  every  hue  and  shade, 
tessellating  the  plains  in  broad  and  gorgeous  pattern,  and  embellishing 
the  green  skirts  of  the  hillsides  with  a  rich  embroidery  of  pink  and 
purple  and  blue  and  gold. 

The  very  hills  cry  out  for  joy  at  their  own  loveliness.  A  little 
child,  on  witnessing  the  scene  for  the  first  time,  exclaimed,  "See,  mama, 
the  hills  have  painted  themselves  with  flowers !" 

May  follows  with  her  brilliant  train,  making  glad  the  hearts  of 
those  who  seek  the  fields  or  woodland  haunts.  By  June  the  hills  begin 
to  assume  a  brownish  tone,  the  grasses  are  drying  up,  and  the  flowere 
are  disappearing  from  the  valleys,  but  a  trip  to  the  mountains  will  be 
rewarded  by  finding  many  varieties,  blooming  with  fresh  vigor  and 
beauty,  nourished  by  the  waters  of  the  melting  snow  of  the  lofty  peaks. 

Among  the  earliest  of  our  plants  to  tell  us  of  the  arrival  of  spring 
is  the  dear  little  white  forget-me-not.  The  Spanish  name,  nievitas, 
signifies  snow.  They  love  moist  hillsides  and  meadows,  where  they 
perform  their  function  as  willingly  and  give  greater  pleasure  than  many 
of  their  more  showy  sisters.  Children  seek  them  eagerly,  calling  them 
"'popcorn  flowers." 

Nemophila  insignis  also  comes  to  us  very  early,  and  remains  for 
weeks,  and  is  one  of  our  most  charming  flowers.  It  is  familiarly  known 
as  "baby-blue-eyes,"  the  name  doubtless  suggested  by  their  azure  color 
and  wide-awake  expression  as  they  greet  the  passer-by.  They  are  found 
growing  on  rocky  hill-tops,  and  covering  large  spaces  of  the  valleys, 
appearing  at  a  little  distance  like  a  sea  of  ethereal  blue.  There  are 
several  varieties  of  this  beautiful  flower,  most  of  which  take  kindly  to 
cultivation.  They  have  been  introduced  into  gardens  of  the  Atlantic 
states  and  in  Europe.  They  will  grow  in  water,  and  the  buds  keep 
opening  out  for  a  week  or  two  if  carefully  picked  and  kept  in  a  warm, 
well-ventilated  place. 

Another  favorite  is  the  Plati/stemon, — cream  cups, — with  their  soft, 
delicate  sweetness  appealing  to  us  to  handle  them  tenderly.  Their 
color,  as  their  name  implies,  is  a  creamy  white.  They  also  keep  well 
when  gathered,  if  given  plenty  of  water.  Like  the  nemophila,  they 
appear  in  large  masses,  vying  with  other  flowers  and  grasses  for, 
supremacy  in  the  wide  fields.  But  the  poor  little  innocents  ofttimes 


56  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

meet  with  an  untimely  fate.  The  indifferent  plowman  allows  his  horses 
to  trample  them  beneath  their  feet  as  he  ruthlessly  plows  them  under  to 
enrich  the  soil  for  his  field  of  wheat.  One  is  fain  to  cry  out,  "Spare 
the  flowers,  and  we  will  do  with  less  bread !" 

Of  Gilias  we  have  an  extensive  assortment,  their  showy  blossoms 
adding  beauty  wherever  nature  has  placed  them.  The  Collinsia  is  repre- 
sented on  our  coast  by  a  large  number  of  species,  being  widely  diffused 
throughout  the  Pacific  states.  Collinsia  bicolor  is  the  most  beautiful. 
Its  habits  of  building  upward  and  still  upward  its  whorls  of  sprightly 
blossoms  calls  to  mind  a  line  of  Holmes'  "Chambered  Nautilus,"- 
"Build  thee  more  stately  mansions,  0  my  soul !"  It  seeks  shady  local- 
ities, where  it  is  found  in  friendly  groups,  waving  its  lavender  blossoms 
amid  the  grasses.  One  may  gather  large  quantities  and  carry  them 
home  with  the  full  assurance  that  they  will  keep  fresh  and  bright  for 
many  days  if  properly  cared  for. 

An  erroneous  idea  is  prevalent  that  wild  flowers  are  so  frail  that 
they  are  not  worth  the  picking.  This  mistake  has  occurred  from 
carelessness  and  lack  of  studying  the  habits  of  the  flowers.  In  the  first 
place  great  care  should  be  taken  when  gathering  them  not  to  break 
or  bruise  the  slender  stems.  They  should  be  laid  straight  in  a  basket, 
or  upon  a  paper  and  wrapped  so  when  wilted  they  will  not  droop  ami 
swing  about.  In  this  way  they  may  be  carried  a  long  distance,  and 
may  be  easily  revived  by  sprinkling  with  fresh  water  and  putting  them 
out  in  the  dew  overnight.  Some  are  more  fragile  than  others,  but 
many  varieties  may  be  kept  for  days  or  even  weeks  by  giving  them 
plenty  of  water  and  fresh  air. 

Another  of  our  annuals  whose  bright  flowers  please  the  eye,  and 
which  may  be  named  as  especially  charming,  is  Clarkia  elegans.  In 
June,  after  many  of  its  sister  flowers  have  fulfilled  their  little  mission,, 
and  providently  stored  their  seeds  in  the  dry  soil  to  come  forth  and 
bless  another  season,  this  gracious  flower  comes  to  us  displaying  her 
rose-colored  banners  from  rocky  banks  to  cheer  the  tired  traveler  along 
the  hot  roadway.  Many  times  a  dainty  dress  is  torn  and  a  dainty  glove 
soiled  in  reaching  to  pluck  these  tempting  flowers  from  their  rugged 
home,  where  they  are  surrounded  by  grasses  and  shrubs  laden  with  the 
summer's  dust. 

The  Figwort  family  is  represented  on  our  coast  by  the  genus  Ortho- 
carpus,  of  which  we  have  about  twoscore  varieties.  Most  of  these 
flowers  are  white,  and  they  grow  in  such  profusion  that  a  field  of  them 

:s  as  if  covered  with  snow.  They  possess  good  keeping  qualities,  and 
emit  a  dainty  fragrance. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  and  satisfactory  of  our  annuals  is  the 
Layw,  known  as  "tidy  tips,"  owing  to  the  pure  white  tips  of  its  clear 


NATIVE    ANNUALS    OF    THE    PACIFIC    STATES.  '•)  I 

yellow  petals.  It  is  much  sought  after,  and  is  often  displayed  in  flor- 
ists' windows  alongside  of  rich  exotics.  Flora  has  been  very  lavish  with 
this  beautiful  gift.  One  may  catch  its  sweet  fragrance  at  almost  every 
turn  during  its  blossoming  season. 

After  some  of  the  earlier  flowers  have  spent  their  sweetness  on  the 
spring-time  air,  our  hills  begin  to  assume  a  golden  hue.  A  stranger 
might  wonder  what  caused  the  transition,  but  those  familiar  with  this 
coast  will  know  it  is  the  faithful  little  Baeria  gracilis,  coming  always 
in  her  appointed  time,  and  congregating  in  great  communities,  dis- 
playing their  rich  vesture,  vying  with  the  very  sunshine.  One  feels  an 
impulse  to  go  and  fling  himself  down  upon  the  golden  tapestry  in  utter 
forgetfulness  of  all,  save  nature  and  nature's  God. 

A  number  of  interesting  varieties  of  lupine  add  to  our  pleasing  col- 
lection of  annuals.  They  are  found  widely  scattered  over  the  coast, 
varying  in  color  from  white  to  purple. 

Meconopsis  is  a  showy  specimen  of  the  poppy  family,  its  flaming1 
orange  or  scarlet  blossoms  making  a  very  attractive  appearance  during 
the  late  spring. 

The  California  poppy — emblem  of  our  State  Floral  Society  and 
golden  symbol  of  our  "Golden  State" — is  the  pride  of  every  Californian's 
heart.  But  I  will  leave  it  to  one  more  competent  to  portray  the  quali- 
tes  of  this  incomparable  flower. 

Many  other  annuals  distinguished  for  the  beauty  of  their  blossoms 
might  be  named,  but  some  thought  must  be  given  to  the  useful.  Yet 
we  may  not  consistently  separate  the  one  from  the  other,  for  "beauty 
hath  its  use."  Holland  says,  "Whatever  elevates,  inspires,  refreshes 
any  human  soul,  is  useful  to  "that  soul/'  and  every  one  will  agree  that 
usefulness  is  always  beautiful. 

Among  the  large  list  of  annuals  indigenous  to  this  western  coast  we 
find  a  great  assortment  of  plants  containing  inestimable  economic 
values.  One  of  the  most  important  is  the  clover,  of  which  a  number  of, 
varieties  are  prized  for  the  beauty  of  their  flowers,  and  all  are  valuable, 
as  forage  plants. 

Burr  clover  (Medicago  denticulata) ,  although  sometimes  considered 
a  pest  in  our  lawns,  is  a  valuable  food  for  cattle,  even  the  little  burrs 
containing  much  nourishment. 

Sweet  clover  (Melilotus}  grows  to 'great  perfection,  and  is  valued  for 
its  delicious  honey-like  odor.  It  attains  a  height  of  from  two  to  six 
feet.  Its  long  stalks  with  its  dark  green  foliage  and  racemes  of  dainty 
flowers,  yellow  or  white,  form  a  striking  and  pleasing  house  decoration. 
The  flowers  are  used  as  flavoring  in  several  preparations,  and  act  as 
a  preventive  of  moths  when  placed  with  woolens  and  furs. 

We  all  are  familiar  with  mustard  and  its  many  useful  qualities. 


58  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL   CONGRESS. 

The  young  tender  shoots  and  leaves  furnish  an  esteemed  salad;  the 
seeds  when  dried  and  ground  contribute  to  the  relish  and  wholesome- 
ness  of  our  food,  and  also  contain  invaluable  medicinal  properties.  In 
the  southern  part  of  California,  where  this  plant  flourishes  in  its  full 
perfection,  it  often  attains  a  height  of  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet, 
providing  shelter  to  the  weary  toiler,  from  the  fervent  rays  of  the  south- 
ern sun,  as  he  partakes  of  his  noontime  luncheon  beneath  its  grateful 
shade,  and  the  "fowls  of  the  air  come  and  lodge  in  its  branches"  as  in 
Palestine  ages  ago.  The  great  stalks,  coming  from  such  tiny  seed,  are 
utilized  in  various  ways.  They  are  used  as  fuel,  and  it  is  said  that 
fences  are  sometimes  built  of  them.  A  large  field  of  mustard  when 
covered  with  its  soft  yellow  bloom,  glinting  in  the  sun,  appears  a 
veritable  cloth  of  gold. 

We  might  go  on  indefinitely  enumerating  the  plants  of  varied  beauty 
and  excellence ;  the  task  seems  limitless.  The  abundance  of  the  annuals 
of  the  Pacific  states,  the  wide  diversity  of  species,  some  of  which  may 
be  found  flourishing  every  day  of  the  year,  is  a  source  of  comment  by 
all  conversant  with  the  subject.  Many  of  them  are  beautiful;  all  of 
them  are  useful. 

May  the  time  soon  come  when  all  can  say  with  the  poet  Words- 
worth:— 

"To  me  the  meanest  flower  that  blows  can  give 
Thoughts  that  do  often  lie  too  deep  for  tears." 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 


NATIVE    PERENNIALS. 

BY     MRS.    W.    S.    CHANDLER. 


The  term  "perennial"  is  employed  by  botanists  to  indicate  those 

plants  which  live  on  for  a  number  of  years.     Different  climates  affect 

lants;  some  which  are  annual  in  cold  climates  are  perennial  in  warmer 

regions.     The  term  "perennial"  is,  in  general,  applied  only  to  herbaceous 

plants,  referring  principally  to  their  roots. 

Perennial  herbaceous  plants,  like  shrubs  and  trees,  are  capable  of 

producing  flowers  and  fruit  year  after  year,  in  which  they  differ  from 

nual  and  biennial  plants,  which  are  fruitful  only  once."    We  are  in- 

•o  the  perennials  for  some  of  our  earliest  flowers. 

On     >f  the  first,  the  trillium  sessile,  comes  to  us  about  the  middle 

of  December.     What  a  sight  to  come    upon  a  colony  of   these    lovely 

flowers,  with  their  pure  white  waxen  cups  and  large  green  leaves,  on 

winch  mother  nature  has  traced  strange  characters  in  a  language  all 


NATIVE    PERENNIALS.  59 

her  own !  In  olden  times  these  flowers  were  supposed  to  wake  the  robin. 
In  the  east  they  are  called  "wake  robin." 

Following  the  trilliums  we  have  the  Cynoglossum  grande,  or  hound's 
tongue.  It  comes  to  us  early  in  January.  With  its  beautiful  cluster 
of  blue  flowers  resembling  forget-me-nots,,  it  is  quite  a  noticeable  plant, 
and  deserves  a  place  in  our  gardens. 

We  have  two  perennials — Eschscholtzias,  beautiful  poppies — which 
linger  with  us  all  the  year.  No  wonder  we  Californians  are  fond  of 
our  state  flower.  Though  at  its  best  and  brightest  from  January  until 
May,  there  is  not  a  month  in  the  year  that  it  does  not  bloom. 

All  along  the  seacoast  in  sandy  soil,  throughout  the  year,  we  find 
Eschscholtzia  Californica,  with  its  light  golden  cups  spotted  with  orange 
at  the  base. 

Eschscholtzia  crocea,  with  its  large  golden-orange  bloom,  is  most 
common;  we  find  it  everywhere. 

The  Columbine  Aquilegia  truncata  is  another  early-blooming  per- 
ennial. We  are-  all  familiar  with  this  lovely  flower,  with  its  dainty 
foliage  and  graceful  blossoms  of  red  and  gold.  It  is  one  of  our  most 
attractive  plants.  It  was  once  called  Herba  leonis,  from  a  belief  that 
it  was  the  lion's  favorite  flower.  It  blooms  early  in  January. 

Dicentra  Formosa  (bleeding-heart)  is  another  of  our  perennials; 
it  comes  to  us  often  in  January.  It  loves  shady  canyons,  where  it 
thrives  under  the  shrubs.  I  once  found  a  colony  of  double  flowers 
which  was  very  interesting. 

Our  native  violets  are  all  perennials,  all  beautiful  early-flowering, 
but  the  one  we  seem  to  love  best  is  the  Viola  pedunculata, — Johnny- 
jump-up,  as  the  children  call  them.  There  is  something  so  very 
attractive  about  these  flowers  that  one  seems  drawn  towards  them.  A 
verse  from  James  Whitcomb  Kiley  will  describe  our  feelings: — 

"Pansies!  pansies!  how  I  love  you,  pansies; 
Jaunty  faced,  laughing  lipped,  and  dewy  eyed  with  glee  ! 
Would  my  song  might  blossom  out  in  little  five-leaved  stanzas, 
As  delicate  in  fancies 
As  your  beauty  is  to  me." 

The  strawberry  (Fragaria  Californica)  and  Chilensis  are  both  peren- 
nials. Our  sand  hills  towards  the  ocean  are  covered  with  this  delicious 
fruit-bearing  plant.  The  lovely  white  blossoms  and  glossy,  dark  leaves 
make  it  very  noticeable.  Another  of  the  perennials  belonging  to  the 
same  family  as  the  strawberry  is  quite  well  known  to  most  of  us. 

Potentilla  Anserina,  or  silver  weed,  we  find  growing  along  stream 
banks  and  moist  places.  Its  flowers  are  yellow,  the  leaves  dark  green, 
and  the  under  side  a  silver  gray. 


60  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

The  sand  verbena  (Abronia  California)  is  also  a  perennial;  it  has 
very  showy  yellow  blossoms,  which  are  fragrant. 

Keseda  (mignonette,,  Dyer's  weed)  is  very  plentiful  all  along  the  sea- 
coast,  and  its  flowers  bear  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  garden  favorite 
of  that  name. 

Mesembryanthemum,  with  its  bright  rose-purple  flowers  and  thick, 
fleshy  leaves,  makes  many  a  gay  patch  along  the  beach.  Its  fruit  resem- 
bles a  fig,  and  is  very  agreeable  to  the  taste.  The  early  Spanish  were 
very  fond  of  it,  and  called  it  "tornitis." 

Another  of  our  perennials  which  seeks  its  home  by  the  seas  is  the 
lovely  beach  daisy,  Erigeron  glances.  It  seems  to  love  to  grow  on 
banks  touching  the  beach,  ever  within  sound  of  the  waves.  The  violet 
shade  of  the  ray  flowers,  with  the  golden  ones  of  the  disc  and  the  dark 
green  of  the  leaves,  makes  it  a  plant  well  worth  cultivating.  We  have 
another  of  this  family,  but,  unlike  its  violet  sister,  it  raises  its  head 
proudly  along  stream  banks  far  from  the  salt  air.  It  also  is  beautiful, 
with  its  daisy-like  flowers  of  white  shading  into  pink.  Its  name  is 
Erigeron  Philadelphicus.  It  is  not  common  with  us. 

Aristolcochia  Californica,  the  pipe  vine,  is  one  of  our  most  interest- 
ing perennials.  It  is  difficult  to  find,  as  it  grows  under  the  shade  of 
the  shrub  oaks.  The  flowers  are  strange  looking,  very  much  like  a 
Dutchman's  pipe;  the  color,  a  dull  red-brown.  I  have  often  traced  its 
hiding-place  by  the  black  butterfly  hovering  around;  these  moths  feed 
on  its  leaves. 

The  wild  ginger,  belonging  to  the  same  family,  is  also  a  strange- 
looking  plant.  Its  flowers  look  like  great  spiders;  in  fact,  it  has  an 
uncanny  look. 

Nasturtium  Officinale,  the  watercress,  is  not  only  a  plant  of  beauty, 
but  of  use.  We  garnish  our  dishes  with  its  leaves.  It  is  also  converted 
into  a  delicious  salad.  Most  people  are  fond  of  it. 

Another  useful  plant  is  the  Scrophularia  Californica,  the  bee  plant. 

t  is  quite  a  quaint-looking  plant,  with  its  little  sunburnt  face,  not 

beautiful,  like  many  of  its  sisters,  but  there  is  something  very  enticing 

and  interesting  about  it.     The  bees  love  it.     On  the  bee  farms  in  the 

southern  part  of  the  state,  the  bee  plant  is  cultivated. 

Castilleia  Latifolia,  or  painted  cup  (the  latter  name  I  always  object 

to   as  it  bears  no  resemblance  to  a  cup),  is  another  of  our  perennials 

which  lingers  with  us  all  the  year.     Its  gay    scarlet  flowers  brighten 

many  a  somber  hillside.     When  mother  nature  calls  her  children  to 

is  well  she  leaves  a  few  to  gladden  us  through  the  winter 

We  have  some  goldenrod  perennials,  besides  numbers  of  the  beautiful 
and  interesting  flowers,  most  of  them  having  medicinal  values.  How- 
ever, time  will  not  permit  my  dwelling  on  them. 

San  Francisco,  Col. 


MOSSES   AND   LICHENS    OF   THE   PACIFIC    COAST.  61 

MOSSES   AND   LICHENS    OF   THE    PACIFIC    COAST. 

BY     JOSIAH     KEEP. 

In  speaking  of  the  mosses  and  lichens  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  per- 
mit me  to  treat  the  subject  in  a  manner  somewhat  more  general  than 
might  be  expected  from  the  title  of  my  paper.  For,  indeed,  it  seems 
not  altogether  unfitting,  at  a  session  of  this  Floral  Congress,  to  empha- 
size the  esthetic  element  rather  than  the  severely  critical,  to  revel 
in  beauty  more  than  in  terminology,  to  talk  of  what  we  all  can  appreci- 
ate and  love.  Therefore,  let  no  one  fear  that  my  minutes  will  be 
devoted  to  reading  catalogues  of  hard  names ;  on  the  other  hand,  I  would 
fain  take  you  out  with  me,  in  spirit,  at  least,  into  the  green  woods, 
and  sit  down  for  a  little  time  on  the  overgrown  rocks  and  gravelly 
banks  which  form  the  borders  of  a  clear  flowing  stream.  In  this  spirit 
let  us  now  proceed. 

The  objects  concerning  which  I  have  been  requested  to  write  con- 
stitute some  of  the  more  humble  divisions  of  the  great  vegetable  king- 
dom, and  yet  a  charm  lies  in  their  very  humility.  They  never  oppress 
and  overburden  us  with  their  towering  magnificence;  as  do  sometimes 
the  mighty  monarchs  of  the  forest.  They  are  the  simple  children  of 
the  earth,  fresh  and  guileless,  sweet  and  pure.  They  are  creatures  of 
the  present,  not  so  long-lived  as  to  challenge  our  reverence,  nor  so  fleet- 
ing as  to  give  us  a  thought  of  pain  as  we  contemplate  their  brief 
lives,  but  remaining  familiarly  in  their  places  till  we  become  accus- 
tomed to  their  presence,  and  then  either  disappearing  or  gradually 
giving  place  to  another  generation. 

The  poet  of  nature  scarcely  ever  fails  to  note  their  charm,  and  cool 
and  refreshing  references  to  their  presence  are  found  throughout  litera- 
ture. 

"The  old  oaken  bucket,  the  iron-bound  bucket, 
The  moss-covered  bucket,  which  hung  in  the  well." 

What  a  charming  picture  of  dripping  coolness !  The  well,  deep 
and  sweet;  the  bucket,  rude  and  strong,  yet  withal  fringed  with  nature's 
most  delicate  tassels;  the  water,  cold  and  clear,  fit  for  the  drink  not 
only  of  a  god,  but  also  of  a  hot,  happy,  healthy  boy.  Surely,  there 
was  more  of  life's  poetry  in  drinking  from  that  moss-covered  bucket 
than  there  is  in  our  time  in  quenching  our  thirst  from 

The  new  brazen  faucet,  the  nickel-trimmed  faucet, 
The  Spring;  Valley  faucet,  which  stands  in  the  wall. 

But  some  eastern  friend  may  be  about  to  call  me  to  order,  and 
remind  me  that  the  blessed  moss  of  the  old  bucket  grew  in  the  far- 
away state  of  Massachusetts,  and  that  in  no  sense  can  it  be  classed 


62  PACIFIC    STATES    FLOMAL    CONGRESS. 

with  the  products  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  True,  true,  in  the  letter;  and 
yet  I  can  not  forget  that  the  mortal  remains  of  the  immortal  Samuel 
Woodworth,  who  wrote  those  enduring  lines,  peacefully  rest  here  in 
our  city,  and  that  the  stately  cross  on  Lone  Mountain  keeps  watch 
over  his  humble  grave.  So  closely  united  are  all  things  true  and 
beautiful  and  good.  Again  I  will  quote,  this  time  from  Thomson:— 

"Brown  night  retires;  young  day  pours  in  apace, 
And  opens  all  the  lawny  prospect  wide. 
The  dripping  rock,  the  mountain's  misty  top, 
Swell  on  the  sight,  and  brighten  with  the  dawn. 
Roused  by  the  cock,  the  soon-clad  shepherd  leaves 
His  mossy  cottage,  where  with  peace  he  dwells, 
And  from  the  crowded  fold  in  order  drives 
His  flock,  to  taste  the  verdure  of  the  morn/' 

And  once  more : — 

"The  angel  of  the  flowers,  one  day, 
Beneath  a  rose-tree  sleeping  lay,— 
The  spirit  to  whose  charge  'tis  given 
To  bathe  young  buds  in  dews  of  heaven. 
Awaking  from  his  light  repose, 
The  angel  whispered  to  the  rose, 
'O  fondest  object  of  my  care, 
Still  fairest  found,  where  all  is  fair, 
For  the  sweet  shade  thou  giv'st  to  me. 
Ask  what  thou  wilt,  'tis  granted  thee.' 
•     'Then,'  said  the  rose,  with  deepened-glow, 
'On  me  another  grace  bestow.' 
The  spirit  paused  in  silent  thought; 
What  grace  was  there  that  flower  had  not? 
'Twas  but  a  moment;  o'er  the  rose 
A  veil  of  moss  the  angel  throws; 
And,  robed  in  nature's  simplest  weed, 
Could  there  a  flower  that  rose  exceed?'' 

But,  leaving  the  poets,  let  us  come  to  a  more  scientific  view  of  the 
objects  under  consideration,  remembering  in  passing  that  a  critical 
knowledge  of  natural  objects  in  nowise  destroys  their  poetical  interest. 
The  enjoyer  of  poetry  and  sentiment  need  not  elect  to  remain  in 
ignorance,  for  fear  that  an  intimate  knowledge  of  nature  will  dispel 
all  his  happy  ideals.  It  is  true  that  some  of  the  poetic  phrases  which 
were  written  by  those  who  viewed  nature  through  the  telescope  rather 
than  through  the  microscope  need  to  be  revised  and  made  to  conform 
to  the  truth;  and  yet,  what  is  but  vaguely  guessed  at  in  the  distance 
is  made  wonderfully  clear  and  vastly  more  poetic  when  we  come  to  know 
more  of  nature's  infinite  details. 

When  the  great  veil  that  hung  in  nature's  temple  was  rent  by  the 
lens  of  the  microscope,  there  was  more  of  glory  and  beauty  revealed 
than  had  ever  been  dreamed  of  before.  True  poetry  has  nothing  to 
fear  from  genuine  knowledge. 

The  simplest,  plants  which  exist  in  the  world  belong  to  the  great 
division  of  the  Thallophytes,  or  thallus  plants;  i.  e.,  plants  which  have 
no  flowers,  and  no  distinct  separation  of  their  parts  into  roots,  stems, 


MOSSES   AXD   LICHENS   OF   THE    PACIFIC    COAST.  bd 

and  leaves.  The  green  dust  which  grows  on  flower-pots  in  conserva- 
tories is  one  of  the  simplest  forms  of  these  plants;  the  green  skeins 
of  slender  "water-silk"  which  we  find  so  abundantly  in  slow  streams 
and  ditches  is  another  form;  while  the  vast  fields  of  seaweed  consti- 
tute a  third.  Many  of  these  plants  are  known  as  algae,  a  name  espe- 
cially given  to  the  so-called  sea-mosses,  but  which  in  fact  are  not 
mosses  at  all.  Therefore,  beautiful  though  they  may  be,  we  can  not 
include  them  among  the  true  mosses  of  our  coast. 

The  alga3  are  all  self-supporters,  having  green  chlorophyll  bodies 
within  their  substance,  by  means  of  which  they  are  able  to  extract 
proper  elements  from  water,  air,  and  mineral  matter,  and  combine 
these  elements  into  vegetable  food-stuffs,  such  as  starch  and  cellulose. 
In  some,  it  is  true,  the  green  coloring  matter  is  obscured  by  other 
tints,  especially  by  red  pigments,  but  it  may  often  be  revealed  by  first 
removing  the  intervening  chromic  matter. 

The  other  great  division  of  the  thallus  plants  exhibits  far  different 
characteristics.  In  shape  and  appearance,  indeed,  they  may  not  differ 
materially  from  some  of  the  algae,  but  in  their  mode  of  life  the  dif- 
ference is  most  marked. 

This  second  division  includes  the  fungi,  an  innumerable  swarm 
of  living  organisms,  probably  far  outnumbering  all  other  forms  of 
life  put  together.  We  frequently  think  of  mushrooms  and  toadstools 
when  fungi  are  mentioned,  and  we  think  rightly,  for  such  they  are. 
But  the  toadstools  are  the  giants  of  the  race,  and  are  no  more  to  be 
considered  as  the  exclusive  or  even  average  specimens  of  fungi  than 
elephants  and  whales  should  be  judged  by  a  visitor  from  another  planet 
as  the  exclusive  or  average  forms  of  animal  life  upon  the  surface  of 
the  earth.  All  the  molds  are  fungi,  so  are  the  yeast  plants,  and  so 
too,  are  the  awful  billions  of  bacteria,  objects  so  minute  that  a  powerful 
microscope  is  required  to  discern  their  form.  Some  of  the  fungi  are 
troublesome,  a  few  are  malignant,  but  the  great  majority  are  either 
neutral  or  positively  beneficial  to  the  higher  forms  of  life. 

The  great  characteristic  of  the  fungi  is  that  they  are  destitute  of 
the  green  chlorophyll,  and  therefore  can  not  manufacture  food  from 
the  elements,  but  must  take  it  second-hand,  as  it  were,  as  men  and  all 
other  animals  always  do.  And,  like  animals  again,  some  fungi  take 
their  food  from  living  organisms,  and  are  therefore  called  parasites, 
while  the  majority  feast  upon  lifeless  organic  remains.  The  bracket- 
fungus  which  is  so  often  seen  on  old  trees  and  stumps  tells  us  that 
the  part  on  which  it  is  growing  is  no  more  alive. 

Molds  do  not  usually  appear  on  living  matter.  Mushrooms  thrive 
in  rich,  decaying  refuse.  Bacteria,  for  the  most  part,  produce  the 
decay  of  that  which  is  already  dead,  though  some  species  are  ever  ready 


64  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

to  enter  an  open  wound  and  feed  upon  the  living  tissues,  while  others 
pass  into  the  body  with  the  breath  or  food,  and  begin  their  rapid  or 
more  delayed  work  as  producers  of  disease.  To  successfully  combat 
their  work  is  the  great  problem  of  medicine.  Very  much  has  been 
learned  within  the  last  twenty-five  years;  very  much  more,  it  is  safe 
to  say,  will  be  known  before  the  end  of  the  next  quarter  century. 
Man  is  fast  learning  to  obey  the  divine  command,  with  its  implied 
promise,  to  go  forth  and  subdue  nature. 

Leaving  now  this  great  subject,  with  its.  manifold  attractions  and 
possibilities,  we  turn  to  the  lichens,  a  division  of  the  vegetable  world 
which  is  very  puzzling  and  very  obscure.  In  my  hand  I  hold  a  speci- 
men of  the  most  beautiful  form  on  our  coast,  Evernia  vulpina,  the 
Golden  Lichen  of  the  Sierras.  Its  color  is  a  rich  yellow,  varying 
somewhat  in  shade  in  different  specimens,  but  one  of  the  most  pro- 
nounced colors  to  be  found  in  the  whole  vegetable  creation.  This 
lichen  grows  upon  trees,  usually  upon  the  under  side  of  the  dead 
limbs  of  the  pines,  which  are,  in  consequence,  lighted  up  with  a  peculiar 
glory.  In  form  it  is  diffuse  and  branching,  sometimes  occurring  in 
flattened  bars,  but  more  often  in  round,  branching  threads.  It  grows 
sometimes  to  the  length  of  several  inches,  but  never  extends  in  long, 
pendulous  masses,  as  do  some  other  members  of  the  group.  When 
dry,  its  texture  is  quite  firm  and  stiff,  though  it  can  be  much  softened 
by  moisture.  It  has  little  or  no  fragrance,  and  is  entirely  too  severe 
to  be  swayed  or  tossed  by  the  winds  or  storms.  But  when  we  note 
its  beautiful  color,  its  graceful  form,  and  the  wealth  of  its  branches, 
we  may  well  admire  it  and  count  it  one  of  our  chief est  botanical 
treasures.  Like  other  lichens  which  grow  upon  trees,  it  is  often  called 
a  moss,  though  an  examination  of  its  botanical  structure  shows  that 
it  differs  greatly  from  the  plants  which  really  deserve  that  name. 
With  what  a  charming  tone  the  poet  Bryant  sings  of  the  woods: — 
"Here  are  old  trees,  tall  oaks  and  gnarled  pines, 
That  stream  with  gray-green  mosses;  here  the  ground 
Was  never  trenched  by  spade;  and  flowers  spring  up 
Unsown,  and  die  ungathered." 

ISTo  wonder  that  he  adds : — 

"It  is  sweet  to  linger  here,  among  the  flitting  birds, 
And  leaping  squirrels,  wandering  brooks,  and  winds 
That  shake  the  leaves,  and  scatter,  as  they  pass, 
A  fragrance  from  the  cedars,  thickly  set 
With  pale  blue  berries." 

The  Golden  Lichen  is  a  lover  of  the  mountains,  and  is  found  only 

at  considerable  elevations,  being  perhaps  most  abundant  at  from  4,000 

to  6,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.     As  an  ornament,  it  is  a  most 

tting  object  to  bring  home   from   a   trip  to   the   mountains/for   it 

retains  its  brilliant  color  for  many  years,  with  but  little  change. 


MOSSES   AND   LICHENS   OF   THE   PACIFIC    COAST.  65 

The  "gray-green,  streaming  moss"  of  the  poet,  on  the  other  hand, 
loves  the  lowlands,  and  comes  down  to  the  very  level  of  the  sea. 
It  abounds  on  the  venerable  pines  of  Pacific  Grove,  especially  on  those 
trees  near  the  ocean,  which  are  most  thoroughly  bathed  by  the  life- 
giving  sea  fogs.  Unlike  the  Evernia  of  the  mountains,  the  lichen 
of  the  coast,  Kamalina  reticulata,  grows  in  long,  slender  threads,  often 
joined  so  as  to  make  webs  and  nets,  and  reaching  sometimes  two  or 
three  feet  from  the  supporting  bough.  Its  color  is  gray-green  indeed. 
When  dry,  it  is  somewhat  brittle,  but  when  dampened  by  the  fogs  it 
is  limp  and  flexible.  Having  but  little  strength,  it  is  not  fitted  for  high 
altitudes,  where  it  would  be  destroyed  by  the  winter  snows;  but  in 
the  solemn  woods  by  the  seaside,  where  the  climate  is  always  mild  and 
usually  moist,  it  grows  to  perfection.  I  can  imagine  no  combination 
more  harmonious  than  an  aged  pine,  all  hung  with  festoons  of  this 
somber  lichen,  standing  in  the  forest  near  the  famous  Moss  Beach 
at  Pacific  Grove,  while  the  soft,  misty  breeze  comes  creeping  up  from 
the  ocean,  touching  the  thousand  strings  of  the  pine-needle  harp; 
and  added  to  this  mournful  music  conies  the  distant  roar  of  the 
waves,  as  they  break  on  the  long  stretch  of  sand.  Age,  solemnity,  and 
quiet  melancholy  are  bodied  forth  to  eye  and  ear  alike. 

High  up  on  the-  slopes  of  Mount  Shasta,  another  hanging  lichen 
may  be  found,  depending  from  the  branches  of  the  stately  firs.  But 
this  is  black  in  color,  and  is  strong  and  hairy  in  texture.  In  fact, 
when  I  first  found  a  tangled  skein  that  had  fallen  to  the  ground,  I 
suspected  that  it  consisted  of  a  mass  of  hairs  that  had  been  torn  from 
the  tail  of  a  passing  horse.  But  subsequent  investigation  showed  that 
it  was  a  plant,  growing  upon  trees,  and  that  it  sometimes  was  com- 
mingled with  the  Evernia,  already  described. 

But  lichens  do  not  usually  assume  the  form  of  threads  or  nets  or 
stiff  branches.  A  far  more  common  form  is  to  be  found  growing  on 
fences,  on  the  bark  of  trees,  and  even  upon  rocks.  It  is  the  leafy 
form,  not  with  plain,  smooth  leaves,  like  those  of  a  laurel  or  an  oak, 
but  wrinkled  and  frilled  forms,  like  those  of  the  milliner's  art.  Par- 
melia  is  the  pretty  name  for  a  vast  number  of  specimens  to  be  found 
upon  our  coast,  as  well  as  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  The  lichen 
loves  moist  air,  for  the  very  good  reason  that  it  has  active  life  and 
can  grow  only  while  in  the  moistened  condition.  When  dry,  its  life  is 
suspended,  and  it  sleeps.  If  the  sleep  is  not  too  protracted  or  too 
profound,  it  rouses  to  new  life  again  when  visited  by  rain  or  fog. 
Hence  we  frequently  find  the  foliose  lichens  growing  more  abundantly 
on  the  west  side  of  a  board  fence  or  on  the  west  side  of  a  tree;  in 
short,  upon  the  side  which  is  most  likely  to  receive  the  fog  as  it  drifts 
in  from  the  Pacific. 


(j6  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

The  Parmelias  are  greenish-gray  in  tint,  and  when  dry  they  lose 
but  little  of  the  freshness  of  their  color.  They  grow  nearly  flat  upon 
their  supports,  the  edges  only  being  somewhat  curled  and  uplifted. 
Though  we  fail  to  notice  them  individually,  yet  in  fact,  taken  col- 
lectively, they  color  the  landscape  to  a  far  greater  degree  than  at 
first  we  might  suspect.  Taken  in  connection  with  the  many  other 
lichens  which  grow  upon  stones  and  logs  and  the  bark  of-  trees,  they 
give  a  variety  and  pleasing  effect  of  color  which  we  should  greatly 
miss  if  it  were  really  absent. 

Come  with  me  to  the  hills;  examine  the  trunks  and  branches  of 
the  oaks  and  alders,  and  in  fact  of  nearly  all  the  trees  which  do  not  bear 
cones;  notice  the  patches  of  color  upon  stumps  and  fallen  logs;  look 
at  the  hard  rocks  which  have  faced  the  winds  and  storms  for  cen- 
turies; see  how  the  stone  walls,  the  pasture  fences,  and  even  the  heaps 
of  rubbish  are  decked  and  softened  and  made  beautiful  with  these 
touches  of  nature's  brush;  then  will  we  appreciate  to  some  extent  the 
delicate  yet  effective  results  which  come  from  the  presence  of  these 
humble  lichens. 

Botanically,  the  lichen  is  a  singular  compound  of  algas  and  fungi. 
If  its  substance  is  carefully  examined^  it  will  be  seen  to  consist  of  small 
green  cells,  embedded  in  a  tissue  destitute  of  chlorophyll,  and  allied 
to  the  tissues  of  the  fungi.  Here  indeed  is  a  singular  state  of  affairs. 
Through  the  light-colored  substance  of  the  fungus  the  green  of  the 
alga?  may  dimly  appear,  giving  to  the  whole  the  "gray-green"  of  the 
poets.  In  some  mysterious  manner,  certain  fungi  have  acquired  or  been 
endowed  with  the  power  of  living  in  peace  and  harmony  with  certain 
minute  green  plants,  to  the  mutual  advantage  of  both.  It  is  believed 
that  the  alga3  feed  the  fungi,  while  the  fungi  protect  and  defend" 
the  algae.  In  some  cases  they  have  been  compelled  to  live  separately, 
but  they  thrive  best,  for  the  most  part,  when  living  in  the  partner- 
ship indicated.  It  has  a  resemblance  to  the  dairyman  and  hi.;  herd 
of  cows.  The  man  provides  shelter  and  protection  for  his  kine,  and 
they,  in  turn,  supply  him  with  nourishing  milk.  The  advantage  is 
mutual  to  man  and  beast,  and  it  will  probably  be  continued  as  long" 
as  the  world  stands.  But  how  strange  to  think  that  all  about  us, 
on  rocks  and  stumps  and  fences,  is  going  on  a  form  of  life,  more 
lowly  indeed  but  scarcely  less  complex  than  that  found  on  the  dairy 
ranches  which  stretch  along  the  coast  and  spread  over  the  hills  of  this 
broad  western  land. 

At  times,  the  lichens  put  forth  little  cups,  called  apothecia,  which 
materially  enhance  their  beauty  and  attractiveness.  These  apothecia  are- 
frequently  lined  a  brilliant  coloring  matter,  black  or  scarlet  or  yellow, 
and  display,  as  it  were,  some  of  the  beauty  of  true  flowers.  Sometimes 


MOSSES   AND   LICHENS   OF   THE   PACIFIC    COAST.  07 

they  stand  upon  short  stems  and  resemble  goblets  or  wine-glasses;  in 
other  species  they  are  set  like  tiny  cups  and  saucers  in  the  substance 
of  the  lichen.  Together  with  the  thallus,  or  leaf-like  portion  of  the 
plant,  they  give  tone  and  color  and  beauty  to  objects  which  without 
their  presence  would  be  cold  and  dull  and  unsightly.  The  linings  of 
these  brilliant  cups  are  made  up,  to  a  considerable  extent,  of  minute 
sacks,  containing  the  spores  of  the  fungus  partner  of  the  firm.  These 
spores  are  scattered  by  various  means,  and  perhaps  one  out  of  a  mil- 
lion finds  a  congenial  resting-place,  attracts  a  suitable  partner,  and 
the  long  chain  of  life  begins  once  more. 

In  general,  we  may  divide  the  lichens  into  three  great  divisions. 
First,  there  are  the  "crustaceous  lichens."  We  meet  with  these  on 
rocks  and  the  bark  of  trees.  They  are  humble  affairs,  spreading  over 
the  surface  with  no  more  thickness  than  that  of  a  daub  of  paint, 
but,  unlike  the  mark  of  a  paint-brush,  showing  a  decided  organic  appear- 
ance, and  presenting  evidences  of  real  growth.  Some  of  them  are 
powdery  in  texture,  and  when  dry  they  seem  almost  like  yellow  OP 
dark-colored  dust.  The  second  group  includes  the  so-called  leafy  or 
foliose  lichens.  To  these  belong  the  Parmelias,  which  so  profusely 
adorn  the  limbs  of  oak  and  buckeye  trees,  and  spread  out  in  such 
marvelous  mats  and  rosettes  on  the  posts  and  rails  of  old  woodland 
fences. 

The  fruticose  lichens  embrace  the  third  variety;  the  name,  meaning 
bushy,  implying  that  the  plant  puts  forth  twigs  and  forking  branches, 
like  a  bush  or  shrub.  A  little  thicket  of  vegetation  is  thus  often 
made,  a  miniature  forest,  perhaps  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  half  that 
in  height,  though  often  much  larger. 

As  I  wrote  these  words,  a  friendly  twinge  of  headache  sent  me  out 
into  the  fresh  air  for  a  little  walk.  I  entered  the  woods,  skirted  the 
miniature  lake,  and  paused  by  an  ancient  fence,  built  of  primitive 
redwood  rails.  Immediately  beyond  it  was  a  steep  hill,  its  northern 
slope  covered  with  old  trees,  mostly  oaks  and  buckeyes,  while  ferns 
and  flowers  grow  abundantly  beneath  their  overhanging  branches. 

I  have  long  been  familiar  with  this  very  spot,  and  have  enjoyed 
many  a  quiet  communing  with  nature  in  the  shade  of  these  trees. 
But  never  before  was  I  so  impressed  with  the  wealth  of  ornament 
to  be  found  on  the  surface  of  this  old  fence  and  the  bark  of  these 
trees.  In  places,  the  rails  were  almost  hidden  by  a  dusty,  living  paint, 
with  a  soft  gray  tint,  cool  and  restful.  Mingled  with  this  were  the 
frilled  Parmelias,  spreading  in  places  over  a  space  which  my  two  hands 
could  not  cover,  greenish-gray  without,  pure  white  within,  and  black 
beneath.  Scattered  among  these  were  little  clumps  of  the  bushy  kinds, 
of  various  colors,  while  sundry  spots  of  "bright  yellow  told  me  that  the 


tJg  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

species  represented  were  not  few.  Little  cups  of  brown  and  black 
and  yellow  stood  in  order  upon  the  "festive  board/'  while  green  mosses 
abounded,  their  dry  and  curled  leaves  patiently  waiting  for  the  longed- 
for  rain,  which  came  a  few  days  later.  As  I  passed  from  tree  to  tree, 
and  from  one  old  rail  and  post  to  another,  I  thought,  verily,  the 
mosses  and  lichens  of  the  Pacific  Coast  are  objects  of  wonderful  inter- 
est and  beauty.  We  may  not  know  many  of  their  Latin  names,  use- 
ful and  pleasant  though  that  knowledge  would  be;  but  to  the  atten- 
tive eye  and  receptive  heart  they  speak  in  a  language  far  older  than 
that  of  imperial  Rome,  and  they  may  bring  thoughts  too  deep  for 
words,  and  awaken  feelings  too  personal  to  allow  of  communication. 

Of  the  mosses,  which  are  plants  of  a  more  complex  and  higher 
nature  than  the  lichens,  there  are  two  great  divisions,  both  of  which 
are  abundantly  represented  on  our  coast.  The  green  liverworts,  or 
Hepaticae,  form  the  humbler  and  less-known  division,  while  the  Musci, 
or  true  mosses,  are  known,  in  form  at  least,  to  almost  every  one. 
Mosses  of  all  descriptions  love  moisture,  though  many  of  them  are 
strangely  capable  of  lying  dormant  during  long  droughts,  and  resuming 
their  activity  again  when  the  welcome  rains  reappear.  In  such  a  state 
as  California,  it  would  be  impossible  for  them  to  live,  to  any  con- 
siderable extent,  were  they  not  endowed  with  this  wealth  of  patience. 
Farther  to  the  north,  their  love  of  water  can  be  more  frequently 
gratified,  and  consequently  we  find  them  growing  there  in  remarkable 
luxuriance.  The  rainy  side  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  also  produces  many 
choice  forms,  both  of  the  liverworts  and  the  true  mosses.  In  cool, 
wet  meadows,  mosses  abound,  and  by  brook-sides  we  always  expect  to 
find  moss-covered  banks  and  stones. 

The  liverworts  are  of  various  forms,  some  being  flat  and  prostrate, 
while  others  are  more  erect,  and  have  a  leafy  appearance.  One  of 
the  most  common  of  the  former  kind,  which  is  found  growing  in 
almost  every  greenhouse,  is  the  Lurmlaria  cruciata,  which,  however, 
is  not  a  native,  but  was  introduced  from  Europe.  It  is  a  little  plant, 
usually  less  than  an  inch  across,  and  it  lies  nearly  flat,  like  a  scrap 
of  paper.  It  is  of  a  very  lively  green  color,  looking  as  fresh  as  a 
May  morning.  If  you  lift  it  from  the  soil,  you  find  numerous  little 
roots,  or  rather  rhizoids,  which  clasp  the  grains  of  sands  or  earth 
quite  closely.  Its  edges  are  slightly  ruffled,  and  it  frequently  forks  into 
two  branches  as  it  increases  in  size.  On  its  surface  you  can  often  find 
httle  crescent-shaped  cups,  containing  minute,  flattened,  green  balls. 
*  are  the  gemmae,  or  reproductive  buds,  by  means  of  which  the 
plant  ?8  propagated.  These  gemma,  are  dispersed  either  naturally  or 
artificially  and  each  one  which  falls  on  good  ground  may  produce 
a  new  plant,  and  so  the  chain  of  life  is  lengthened  and  strengthened. 


MOSSES   AND   LICHENS    OF   THE    PACIFIC    COAST.  69 

In  Europe,  this  species,  in  common  with  others,  produces  quite  com- 
plex sex  organs,  but  in  this  country  they  have  not  been  observed  on 
Lunularia,  though  they  may  be  found  on  wild  species.  In  places  where 
ferns  grow  from  the  spore,  a  fern  prothallium  may  easily  be  mistaken 
for  a  very  small  liverwort. 

Marchantia  polymorpha  is  another  species  of  liverwort  found  in  many 
parts  of  the  world,  and  is  similar  in  its  habits  of  growth  to  the  last- 
mentioned  variety.  On  the  ledges  which  border  the  brooks  in  the  Santa 
Cruz  Mountains,  notably  along  Boulder  Creek,  may  be  seen  most  inter- 
esting patches  of  liverworts,  sometimes  covering  several  square  feet 
of  surface.  Their  flat  manner  of  growth,  their  two-forked  mode  of 
branching,  and  their  green  color  easily  distinguish  them  from  other 
lowly  plants  found  in  similar  situations. 

On  cool,  shady  banks,  in  the  early  spring,  specimens  of  Asterella 
Californica,  or  the  Star  Liverwort,  may  often  be  found  by  those  who 
are  looking  for  the  less  obvious  products  of  the  soil.  From  a  little 
forked  leaf-body,  the  size  perhaps  of  your  finger-nail,  rises  a  little 
four-lobed  umbrella,  which  contains  a  part  of  the  sex  organs,  which 
are  concerned  in  the  formation  of  germs  for  the  propagation  of  the 
species. 

Other  liverworts  are  somewhat  leafy  in  form,  and  resemble  the 
true  mosses,  for  which  they  may  easily  be  mistaken.  Some  of  them 
live  on  the  bark  of  trees,  and  curl  up  and  lie  dormant  during  the  long, 
dry  summer. 

The  true  mosses,  though  lowly  plants,  bear  distinct  leaves,  and  have 
a  unique  method  of  reproduction.  Take  for  example  a  specimen  of 
Polytrichium,  one  species  of  which  is  familiarly  known  as  Robin's  Rye. 
The  plant,  as  ordinarily  seen,  resembles  a  miniature  evergreen  tree, 
two  inches  high.  There  is  a  brown  trunk  and  radiating  green  leaves. 
From  the  top  of  this  tree  extends  a  slender  rod,  on  the  top  of  which 
is  a  peculiar  capsule,  shaped  somewhat  like  a  kernel  of  rye.  This 
capsule  contains  numerous  grains  of  dust,  each  one  of  which  is  an 
asexual  spore,  capable  of  producing  a  moss  plant,  if  it  falls  on  suitable 
soil.  The  moss  plant,  however,  is  at  first  very  unlike  that  from  which 
the  spore  came,  being  a  minute,  thread-like  plant,  called  a  protonema. 
From  this  protonema  grows  the  long  stalk,  near  the  summit  of  which 
are  developed  the  true  sex  organs.  In  one  of  these  organs  is  an 
egg-cell  which  becomes  fertilized  by  a  sperm  cell,  and  straightway  it 
begins  to  grow.  As  it  grows,  it  forms  the  slender  rod  with  the  urn- 
shaped  capsule  upon  the  top,  in  which  are  the  spores;  and  now  the 
circle  of  moss  life  is  complete.  Alternation  of  generations  is  distinct 
and  evident,  but  the  spore-bearing  plant  is  small,  while  the  sexual 
phase  is  comparatively  large  and  conspicuous.  As  we  pass  to  higher 


70  PACIFIC   STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

types  of  vegetation,  we  find  indeed  the  same  alternation  of  generations, 
but  the  importance  of  the  spore-bearing  phase  continually  increases, 
while  the  prothallium,  on  which  the  sex  organs  are  developed,  becomes 
less  and  less  evident. 

Of  the  multitude  of  mosses  of  this  coast  we  may  select  a  few  general 
types,  which  will  represent  the  great  majority  of  our  Bryophytes.  First, 
there  is  the  Sphagnum,  or  swamp  moss.  It  is  a  pale,  soft,  spongy 
variety,  growing  in  wet  meadows,  and  forming  beds  of  peat  as  it  sinks 
and  dies.  This  moss  is  used  extensively  by  florists,  to  fill  wire  frames 
which  are  to  serve  as  the  foundation  of  floral  designs,  and  also  to 
wrap  around  the  roots  of  plants  to  keep  them  moist  and  fresh.  It 
does  not  grow  extensively  in  this  state,  but  thrives  in  cool  and  moist 
climates. 

Second,  the  genus  Hypnum,  and  its  allies.  In  texture,  many  of 
the  Hypnese  are  quite  tough  and  enduring,  contrasting  strongly  with 
the  Sphagnacea^  just  described.  The  Hypnese  are  the  mosses  that  we 
commonly  find  on  trees,  being  often  very  abundant  near  the  ground, 
and  forming  strong,  green  mats,  which  creep  upward  to  a  considerable 
height.  They  are  also  found  on  stones  and  cool  banks. 

Lastly,  the  Bryeae,  consisting  of  the  genus  Bryum  and  its  allies. 
These  include  the  vast  majority  of  mosses,  and  are  found  abundantly 
on  the  ground  or  on  rocks,  especially  where  the  ground  is  damp  and 
cold.  The  leaves  are  small,  the  stems  often  creeping,  with  rhizoids 
along  the  whole  length. 

In  conclusion,  it  should  be  stated  that  the  humblest  mosses  act 
as  soil  makers.  Living  upon  the  earth,  they  return  to  the  soil  more 
than  they  take  away,  and  prepare  the  ground  for  a  higher  class  of 
vegetation. 

In  our  brief  survey  of  the  lowly  vegetable  organisms  which  inhabit 
our  coast,  we  have  been  impressed  with  their  quiet  beauty.  Doubtless 
they  have  an  important  practical  part  in  the  economy  of  nature  which 
we  can  not,  with  our  present  knowledge,  fully  understand. 

However,  since  we  cultivate  flowers  chiefly  for  their  beauty,  we 
«an,  at  least,  appreciate  the  added  charm  which  lichens  and  mosses 
give  to  nature's  more  rugged  features,  and  we  will  learn  to  declare, 
Jike  their  Maker,  that  they  are  all  "very  good." 

Mills  College,  California. 


WHAT    FLOWERS    TEACH    US.  71 

WHAT    FLOWERS    TEACH    US. 

BY    MRS.    L.    0.    HODGKINS. 

Flower-gardening  has  been  called  woman's  work.  Why  shouldn't  it 
be?  Mother  Nature  herself  farmed  and  gardened  on  a  large  scale, 
and  gave  us  a  good  lesson  in  the  preparation  of  the  soil.  Before  mor- 
tals were  put  on  the  earth,  she  raised  the  mountains,  lowered  the  valleys, 
and  started  irrigation  canals.  Beasts  walked  under  the  shade,  and  birds 
flew  in  the  branches  of  trees,  whose  size  were  almost  beyond  our  com- 
prehension. After  that  a  great  fire  was  kindled;  wood  was  made  into 
coal,  and  minerals  crystallized  and  stored  away.  Some  plants  were 
pressed,  and  impressions  taken  quite  equal  to  those  of  the  present  day. 
They  were  not  left  on  the  surface,  but  stored  away  where  men  must 
seek  if  they  would  find,  teaching  us  not  to  be  satisfied  with  the  outward 
appearance,  and  to  avoid  sham, — be  what  we  seem. 

If  we  give  credit  to  the  Hebrew  tradition  of  the  creation  of  man,  the 
first  couple  were  put  to  gardening,  and  Eden  was  the  first  experimental 
station.  This  did  not  prove  a  success.  The  fault  was  not  in  the  gar- 
den, but  the  Landlord  had  furnished  too  much.  Everything  was  ready 
for  them, — the  flowers  that  were  pleasant  to  the  eye,  the  fruits  which 
were  good  for  food.  They  had  nothing  to  do,  and  the  Landlord  dis- 
charged them,  telling  them  that  hereafter  they  must  look  out  for  them- 
selves, or  in  "the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread."  Here  the 
first  manual  training  school  was  started,  teaching  man  that  what  is 
worth  having  is  worth  digging  for. 

The  Greek  tradition  did  not  give  man  so  good  a  start.  The  garden 
of  Hesperides  and  the  Elysian  fields  were  for  them  only  in  the  future, 
as  a  special  delight  for  the  blessed.  Plants  formed  such  an  important 
part  that  they  were  put  under  special  charge  of  superior  beings. 
Jupiter  believed  in  the  division  of  labor.  He  gave  Ceres  the  grain, 
Pomona  the  fruit,  and  Flora  the  flowers.  When  Jove  saw  Flora  had 
strewn  the  hills  and  meadows  with  beautiful,  sweet-scented  plants,  he 
crowned  her  queen,  and  gave  a  feast  in  her  honor.  They  banqueted  on 
ambrosia  and  drank  nectar  from  the  cup  of  the  lily  and  the  rose.  Be- 
coming intoxicated  with  the  perfume,  she  fell  into  a  deep  sleep  and  saw 
everything  with  distorted  vision.  Under  this  influence  she  created  a 
new  order  of  plants.  She  made  them  ill-shapen;  they  grew  without 
grace.  The  branches  stood  up  stiffly  in  all  directions;  they  were 
covered  with  hooks  and  spines;  some  had  soft,  velvety  bunches  which 
were  filled  with  fine  needle  points.  She  planted  them  in  deserts  among 
rocks  and  sand,  and  called  them  cacti.  When  she  came  to  herself,  she 


72  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

was  very  much  grieved  at  what  she  had  done,  and  wished  as  far  as 
possible  to  make  amends  for  the  wrong.  So  to  some  she  gave  beautiful 
blossoms,  and  to  others,  luscious  fruits,  that  the  beholder  might  forget 
their  ugliness  of  form,  in  the  beauty  of  the  flower  and  the  deliciousness 
of  the  fruit,  teaching  the  sin  of  intoxication,  since  we  can  never  fully 
repair  the  wrongs  committed  while  in  that  state.  As  a  recompense  for 
suffering  a  flower  was  produced  as  a  memorial. 

When  Hyacinthus,  in  his  games  with  Apollo,  fell  wounded  and 
dying,  his  blood  stained  the  herbage,  and  a  flower  most  beautiful  in  hue 
immediately  appeared  from  his  grave.  Each  spring  our  hyacinth  comes 
as  a  memorial  for  him. 

Daphne,  when  she  fled  from  Apollo,  was  changed  to  a  laurel  tree, 
which  was  to  be  always  green,  the  leaf  to  know  no  decay,  and  to  be  used 
as  a  crown  for  the  victorious.  The  water-nymphs  mourned  for  one  of 
their  number;  they  prepared  a  funeral  pile,  but  the  body  was  nowhere 
to  be  found.  In  its  place  had  sprung  up  a  delicate  flower,  purple 
within,  surrounded  with  white  leaves,  which  bears  the  name,  and  pre- 
serves the  memory,  of  Narcissus.  All  these  sayings  and  beliefs  of  the 
ancients  teach  us  of  later  years  that  the  lessons  taught  by  Mother  Nature 
are  wise  and  holy. 

The  Germans  tell  of  a  time,  when  the  world  was  young,  and  the 
wood-nymphs  went  to  sleep,  when  the  leaves  fell  and  the  birds  had 
ceased  their  singing,  and  did  not  awake  till  roused  by  the  gurgling 
sap,  the  swelling  of  the  buds,  and  the  twittering  of  the  young 
birds.  One  year  they  slept  so  late  that  when  they  awoke  it 
was  scorching  summer.  The  daisies  were  dried  up,  the  flowers  had  lost 
their  fragrance,  and  there  was  no  one  to  welcome  their  coming.  The 
king  was  very  angry,  and  decided  that  one  band  of  nymphs  should  keep 
awake  all  winter  to  announce  the  coming  of  spring.  These  he  called 
violets.  They  were  not  to  be  far  away,  just  under  the  snow  and 
leaves,  so  as  to  watch  for  the  first  warm  rays  of  the  spring  sunshine. 
They  never  fail  in  their  duty,  and  the  wood-nymphs  sleep  securely, 
always  sure  of  the  coming  of  the  violet,  From  them  we  learn  a  lesson 
of  constancy  and  trust. 

Flowers  have  formed  models  for  sculptors,  and  painters  have  always 

copied  from  them.     They  have  been  made  emblems  of  countries  and 

states.     As  a  society,  we  may  well  be  proud  that  we  helped  to  make  the 

schscholtzia  our  state  flower,  which  is  such  a  true  emblem  of  the  golden 

gram  above  the  soil  and  the  pure  gold  beneath. 

Our  California  fruit-growers  should  be  classed  as  spring  florists; 
Pomona  and  Flora  work  hand  in  hand.  Where  can  be  found  such  a 
flower  show  as  the  farmer  gives,  when  the  almond  takes  the  place  of  the 
violet  to  announce  the  coming  of  spring,  and  the  others  follow  in  quick 


WHAT    FLOWERS    TEACH    US.  73 

succession,  till  the  whole  seems  as  if  Flora  had  taken  full  possession; 
the  air  is  fragrant  with  perfume,  the  eye  is  delighted  with  the  sight, 
and  the  soul  is  filled  with  thankfulness  and  adoration  to  Him  who 
giveth  us  such  gifts. 

In  this  generation  more  interest  has  been  taken  in  the  study  of 
flowers.  The  florists  produce  new  varieties,  larger  size,  firmer  growth, 
and  finer  coloring.  They  also  study  more  the  fitness  of  place,  the  qual- 
ities of  soil,  and  the  temperature  required  by  the  different  varieties. 
In  all  this  the  professional  florists  take  the  lead.  People  do  not  con- 
sider the  time,  patience,  and  money  it  requires.  Two  of  our  society, 
Carl  Kruger,  who  produced  such  marvels  of  carnation  and  tuberous 
begonias,  and  B.  F.  Lelong,  who  was  such  a  devoted  follower  of  Pomona, 
have  lately  finished  their  work.  The  change  has  come  to  them  which 
must  come  to  us  all,  and  we  trust  that  in  their  new  existence  the  beauty 
and  glory  of  the  beyond  are  more  than  earthly  imagination  had  ever 
dreamed. 

Our  own  florists  are  working,  each  in  his  peculiar  department. 
Far  above  all  the  rest,  from  the  woods  of  dear  old  New  England,  and 
with  the  associations  of  such  men  as  Philips,  Emerson,  and  Agassiz, 
still  clinging  around  him,  we  have  our  own  Luther  Burbank.  His  work 
is  known  from  London  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  from  New  York 
to  the  gardens  of  the  Nile.  Both  fruit  and  flowers  have  claimed  his 
attention,  and  there  is  no  doubt  but,  if  he  can  pursue  his  work  a  few  years 
longer,  he  will  produce  flowers  of  any  shape  and  color,  and  fruit  of 
any  size  and  taste,  at  the  shortest  notice. 

Our  life  may  be  very  monotonous;  as  a  rule,  we  take  some  business 
or  profession,  and  in  order  to  succeed  we  must  give  our  time  to  that. 
In  order  to  vary  this  routine  and  have  a  little  change,  what  better  can 
we  have  than  gardening?  Sir  Thomas  Lipton  says,  "Gardening  give* 
you  just  enough  to  think  about  to  be  a  complete  distraction,  yet  not 
enough  to  worry  you." 

In  Japan  the  arrangement  of  flowers  is  pursued  by  men  of  rank, 
and  ladies  of  the  aristocracy  are  allowed  to  practise  the  art,  because  it 
inspires  virtues,  as  gentleness,  self-denial,  forgetfulness  of  care,  and 
spirituality.  On  farewell  receptions  they  send  flowers  that  bloom  often, 
to  express  the  hope  of  a  speedy  return.  To  the  sick,  blossoms  of  a 
hardy,  vigorous  growth  are  sent,  that  health  may  be  suggested.  Gay 
flowers  are  strewn  in  affliction,  and  on  festive  days.  The  lotus  is  never 
used,  as  it  is  associated  with  the  spirit  of  the  dead. 

He  who  was  born  in  Bethlehem  taught  lessons  from  the  fruit  and 
the  flowers.  From  the  vine  and  the  branches  He  taught  unity  and 
strength;  from  the  fig,  to  be  fruitful  in  good  works;  and  by  His  care 
of  the  lily  and  the  grass  that  clothed  the  field,  He  showed  us  His  love 
and  protection  for  the  least  of  one  of  His  children. 


74  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

Many  sermons  are  preached  from  our  own  little  home  gardens. 
Flowers  are  very  democratic,  and  teach  us  to  do  our  best  in  our  present 
surroundings.  Whoever  heard  of  the  heliotrope  or  the  rose  refusing  to 
bloom  because  their  neighbor  next  door  had  flowers  in  tin  cans  ? 

The  rose  and  carnation  remind  us  of  our  true  friends;  they  are 
always  the  same,  beautiful  in  form,  imparting  an  exquisite  fragrance; 
they  comfort  us,  cheering  in  sorrow,  and  brightening  our  life.  If  wo 
sometimes  feel  the  thorn  of  the  rose,  we  do  not  speak  of  it  as  an  injury, 
but  remember  it  only  as  the  thorn  of  the  rose.  Each  of  us  have  our 
own  peculiar  notions,  and  some  seem  to  think  we  have  only  those,  and 
do  not  notice  our  good  qualities.  Now  let  the  peculiarities  alone, — kc^' 
away  from  our  thorns  or  disagreeable  qualities,  and  deal  only  with  the 
good. 

The  mignonette  is  one  of  the  few  flowers  that  give  out  pure  ozone, 
but  it  puts  on  no  airs  on  that  account,  but  flourishes  with  the  lowly,  as 
well  as  the  great.  The  dahlia  reminds  us  of  some  who  are  stately  and 
cold,  like  a  piece  of  statuary;  they  expect  every  one  to  be  the  same. 
They  say  to  the  frail,  clinging  sweet  pea :  "Why  don't  you  hold  your- 
self up,  and  be  more  self-reliant?  I  don't  have  to  lean  on  any  one;  I 
look  out  for  myself."  The  sweet  pea  answers :  "It  is  by  clinging  I  climb. 
If  I  had  to  depend  on  myself,  I  should  be  trailing  in  the  dust;  by  a  lit- 
tle support  my  fragrance  reaches  farther,  and  I  accomplish  more  good." 
So  we  should  learn  to  assist  those  weaker  in  some  respects  than  our- 
selves. 

The  cacti  family  seems  like  a  set  of  crochety  old  cranks.  By  their 
spines  and  thorns  they  warn  you  to  keep  away  and  let  them  alone. 
There  is  nothing  inviting  about  them,  and  you  wonder  what  possible 
good  they  are.  After  a  little,  amid  all  their  ugliness  of  form  and  sharp- 
ness of  outline,  there  comes  forth  a  magnificent  blossom,  wonderful 
in  size,  beautiful  in  shape,  of  satiny  texture,  and  exquisite  in  color. 
Have  you  not  known  some  persons  who  were  cross  and  ill-natured, 
sometimes  repulsive,  who  would  at  last  do  some  good  deed  that  would 
astonish  you,  and  you  would  say,  "How  little  I  understood  such  a  per- 
son," and  you  would  learn  the  lesson  that  there  is  good  in  all  if  we 
only  had  the  tact  to  discern  it?  The  night-blooming  cereus  has  a 
peculiar  mission  to  perform.  Did  you  ever  go  way  down  in  depths  of 
trouble,  with  darkness  and  gloom  surrounding,  and  not  a  ray  of  light  ? 
Unexpectedly,  in  a  strange  sort  of  way,  a  friend  cqmes.  You  never 
thought  much  about  him  before,  never  realized  anything  special;  but 
now  he  comes  with  a  cheer  and  uplifting  that  no  one  else  could  bring. 
You  are  refreshed  and  encouraged;  the  shadows  are  lifted.  So,  with 
this  fair  flower  of  the  night,  in  darkness  and  gloom  it  opens  its  beau- 
aful  petals,  sheds  its  wonderful  fragrance,  and  when  the  night  disap- 


EAILWAY    GARDENING    IX    CALIFORNIA.  i  ^> 

pears  and  morning  comes,  its  mission  is  ended,  its  work  accomplished. 

The  belladonna  lily  teaches  a  spiritual  lesson.  From  the  bulb 
come  the  green  leaves,  a  fine  foliage.,  healthy  and  strong,  reminding 
one  of  this  life,  growing  and  nourishing  the  plant,  probably  preparing 
for  the  change  which  soon  comes.  In  a  few  weeks  there  is  nothing 
there,  not  a  vestige  of  green  left.  Life  seems  over,  and  its  work  accom- 
plished. Later  on,  up  comes  a  beautiful  shoot,  unlike  the  former  plant 
in  size,  shape,  and  color.  We  know  it  comes  from  the  same  source,  and 
we  can  only  say,  "How  gloriously  changed !"  So  we  are  taught  the 
doctrine  of  the  resurrection  and  of  the  blessed  hereafter,  when  our  loved 
ones,  free  from  earthly  sins  and  stains,  come  forth  clothed  in  new 
forms,  glorious  beyond  description;  and  we  and  they  shall  meet  in  a 
land  fairer  than  Hesperides,  where  the  flowers  never  fade  nor  the  fruits 
blight;  and  we  shall  be  more  blessed  than  was  ever. dreamed  of  by  the 
mythology  of  old,  or  hoped  for  in  the  realities  of  earth. 

San  Francisco,  Gal. 


RAILWAY    GARDENING    IN    CALIFORNIA. 

BY    JOHANNUS    REIMERS. 

There  is  probably  no  place  where  a  garden  is  more  appreciated  by 
the  public  than  at  a  railway  station.  Folks  when  out  traveling  have 
their  eyes  with  them;  they  are  open  to  all  kinds  of  impression,  and 
such  as  at  home  would  in  passing  be  barely  noticed  and  even  remain 
entirely  unobserved,  if  met  on  travels,  are  welcomed  with  an  interest 
highly  profitable.  The  beautiful  has  added  beauty;  the  partly-hidden 
and  insignificant  becomes  obvious ;  the  eye  searches  greedily  for  new 
impressions  when  we  are  out  a-traveling. 

This,  then,  is  probably  the  fundamental  raison  d'etre  of  the  rail- 
road gardens.  Culture  has  been  given  to  otherwise  ugly  situations; 
trees  have  been  planted  along  right-of-way  fences;  vacant  spots  have 
been  transformed  from  barren  cinders  into  beauty  spots  of  lawns  and 
flowers;  hot  platforms  and  sidewalks  have  had  the  spotted  shadows  of 
trees  thrown  over  them;  the  cheerless  has  been  transformed  into 
jubilant  symphonies  of  colors  and  cool  shadows,  inviting,  indeed,  when 
summer  burns  the  traveler's  back. 

The  refining  influence  of  such  station  gardens,  situated  as  they  are 
along  the  the  highways  of  civilization,  can  hardly  be  overestimated. 
Not  alone  the  traveler  receives  benefit  from  them,  but  there  is  the  agent 
and  his  family,  by  whose  home  the  garden  is  planted.  In  the  desola- 
tion of  the  burning  plains,  and  his  often  lonely  existence,  it  furnishes 


76  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

healthful  recreation  from  office  and  indoor  duties;  bringing  him  beauty 
and  fragrance,  it  sweetens  life's  burdens,  it  furnishes  health-giving 
exertion.  The  farmer  and  his  family  from  the  treeless  plains  and 
mesas,  from  the  vast  monotony  of  the  sun-staring  wheat  fields,  also  are 
tenefited  by  the  station  gardens. 

I  know  from  personal  experience  that  the  railway  garden  more 
than  once  has  furnished  slips  and  encouragement  to  a  young  home 
garden  on  San  Joaquin  farms  where  formerly  the  wheat  grew  up  to 
the  front  door,  and  where  various  trees  have  been  planted  because 
"those  of  the  same  kind  over  at  the  depot  were  doing  so  well,  and 
looking  so  handsome."  This  must  surely  have  given  added  pleasures  to 
the  lives  of  these  people,  and  what  much  better  can  any  garden  do  ? 

But  the  railway  garden  is  mainly  planted  for  the  sake  of  the  trav- 
eler, for  the  tourist,  for  the  newcomer  to  our  state.  He  is  eager 
for  impressions  of  the  new  land,  its  capability,  its  availability  and  de- 
sirability for  home-making.  As  he  travels  along,  stopping  for  a  min- 
ute or  two  at  each  station,  he  receives  his  first  and  most  lasting  impres- 
sion from  what  he  sees  there.  So  the  station  garden  shows  him  what 
our  mild  winter,  our  cloudless  summer  can  bring  forth  from  our  soils. 
He  recognizes,  perhaps,  old  friends  in  a  glowing  bed  of  verbenas;  but 
the  thrift,  the  spontaneity  with  which  they  grow,  their  brilliant  pot- 
pourri of  sun-bathed  color,  are  a  revelation  to  him. 

Perhaps  he  travels  west  or  south  when  the  snow  covers  his  home- 
land, and  the  storms  of  winter  rage  there;  and  his  first  impression  of 
our  southland  comes  again  to  him  from  our  station  gardens,  where,  in 
December,  the  Gaznia  weaves  ribbons  of  gold  in  the  rockeries;  where 
the  palms  and  bamboos  glisten  with  clean,  rain- washed  leaves;  where 
the  orange,  the  pomelo,  and  the  lemon  hang  heavy  with  golden  fruit: 
where  the  rose  is  abloom  in  midwinter,  and  the  violet  throws  abroad 
its  delicious  fragrance.  The  station  garden  serves  as  a  permanent 
decoration  of  festive  welcome  to  the  traveler  to  our  state,  and  he  accepts 
it  as  such.  What  better  way  is  there  of  advertising  our  state  than  by 
laying  out  gardens  along  our  far-reaching,  iron-clad  highways— gardens 
of  semitropical  beauty,  such  as  the  greater  number  of  man  dare  only 
dream  of? 

It  is  probably  with  this  in  mind  that  the  Santa  Fe  Eailway  Com- 
pany has  planted  a  garden  at  every  station  depot  and  every  section- 
house  along  its  lines  in  this  state.     There  is  not  a  section-house  on  their 
Liforma  lines,  excepting,  perhaps,  some  in  the  desert,  which  has  not 
ts  garden  with  trees  and  palms,  its  well-fenced  spot,  where  the  house- 
He  can  cultivate  her  favorite  posies,  where  her  children  come  under 
health-giving  and  refining  influence  of  flowers  and  rustling  forest 
leaves. 


RAILWAY    GARDENING    IN    CALIFORNIA.  77 

New  as  is  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  division  of  the  Santa  Fe,  and  as 
jet  under  the  constant  expense  of  solidifying  into  standard  existence, 
vet  the  palms  and  the  trees  and  the  posies  have  followed  along  with  the 
laying  of  the  ties  and  the  rails,  so  that  there  is  not  now  a  depot  nor  a 
section-house  between  the  Tehachapis  and  the  Alhambras  which  has 
not  its  thrifty  garden,  its  rows  or  groups  of  varied  shade  trees,  its  beds 
of  sun-glowing  posies,  its  constantly-growing  shadows  of  spreading 
branches. 

In  southern  California,  where  the  Santa  Fe  Kailway  gardens  are 
older,  fine  effects  have  already  been  reached.  The  palms  there  are 
already  large  and  spreading;  the  shrubs  have  attained  their  character- 
istic forms,  brilliant  with  semitropical  bloom,  and  trees  of  Australian, 
oriental,  South  American,  and  South  European  nativity  are  holding 
up  large  limbs  terminating  in  leaves  of  many  forms,  from  the  large, 
plushy,  heart-shaped  ones  of  the  Paulownia  imperialis  to  the  feathery, 
delicate  ones  of  the  acacias.  Out  of  the  wild  sage  and  the  greasewood 
wilderness  has  been  won  many  a  little  station  garden.  Closely  situated 
as  these  are  in  southern  California,  they  might  be  compared  to  jewels 
set  in  leafy  filigrees  pending  from  the  glittering  bracelet  of  the  kite- 
shaped  track.  These  depot  gardens  up  through  California  give  daily 
.pleasure  to  thousands  and  many  more;  and  their  esthetic  influence  is 
incalculable.  They  spread  the  gospel  of  the  California  flowers  also  to 
far  distant  homes. 

The  questions  arise: — 

Which  is  the  best  way  of  laying  out  a  depot  garden? 

Which  are  the  most  desirable  trees,  shrubs,  and  plants  for  such? 

Which  is  the  best  way  of  maintenance? 
.  Which  are  the  desires  of  future  development? 

The  garden  plots  on  the  San  Joaquin  division  of  the  Santa  Fe  vary 
in  size  from  40x80  feet  to  40x160  feet.  Only  at  Merced  does  the 
garden  exceed  the  latter  extent. 

While  I  must  admit  the  highest  beauty  of  gardens  planted  in  the 
so-called  natural  style,  so  that  they,  so  to  say,  become  a  part  of  the 
landscape,  I  have  found  this  mode  had  to  be  greatly  modified  on  account 
of  small  size  of  the  plots,  and  because  a  garden  in  the  San  Joaquin  and 
through  all  of  the  interior  of  California  must  appear  more  like  an  oasis 
than  a  part  of  the  sunburned  landscape.  To  break  the  monotony  of 
this  vast  level,  I  had  beautiful  volcanic  rocks  of  rough  and  spongy  tex- 
ture brought  from  the  distant  mountains,  and  in  nearly  all  the  depot 
gardens  of  the  San  Joaquin  there  are  now  rockeries  to  which  busy 
trailers  and  creepers,  aloes  and  cacti,  with  sedums  and  mesembryanthe- 
mums,  are  doing  their  best  to  lend  the  charm  of  artificial  naturalness. 
Under  the  conditions,  I  felt  nn'self  almost  forced  to  give  some  kind  of 


73  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

a  form  to  the  garden  beds,  yet  doing  my  best  to  keep  out,  as  much  as 
possible,  all  impression  of  stiffness,  all  tiresome  regularity.  But 
believe  it  is  impossible  to  obliterate  the  artificial  in  a  garden  bounded 
on  three  sides  by  unyielding  straight  lines  and  on  the  fourth  sides  by 
a  just  as  unyielding  railway  track,  and  only  forty  feet  to  give  per- 
spective to.  In  laying  out  these  gardens  I  have  shunned,  as  far  as 
possible,  the  English  idea  of  a  stiff,  closely-cropped  lawn,  upon  which 
a  lonely  palm  or  two  has  been  stuck  out,  or  a  shrub  or  two,  to  shiver 
in  awkward  bashfulness  at  their  own  conspicuousness.  Instead,  I  have 
tried  to  bring  color,  lots  of  color,  into  these  little  gardens,  such  as  our 
cloudless  summer  will  develop,  at  the  same  time  being  forced  to  use 
such  plants  as  would  thrive  under  the  main  care  of  unskilled  hands.  I 
have  planted  hundreds  of  palms  in  these  gardens,  hundreds  of  olean- 
ders. In  my  selection  of  trees  and  plants  I  have  tried,  as  far  as  means 
permitted,  to  imitate  the  gardens  of  bella  Italia,  so  that,  as  they  grow 
older,  they  may  own  their  southland  charms  of  form,  color,  and 
fragrance,  in  preference  to  the  cold,  passionless  stiffness  of  the  modern 
imitation  of  the  English  garden. 

I  have  said  that  a  tasteful  depot  garden  is  one  of  the  best  kinds  of 
advertisements  of  our  state.     These  gardens,  then,  should  be  given  the 
true  character  thereof;  they  should  be  a  concentrated  southland.     In- 
stead of  the  northern  pine  and  maple  should  grow  the  airy,  graceful 
Casuarinas,   the  feathery  cypresses,   the   heat-loving   fig,   the   trees  of 
warmer  Japan,  the  olive,  the  myrtle,  the  acacias,  and  the  trees  from 
warm  Australia  and  Africa,  and    the    araucarias,  giving    sympathetic 
earnestness   to   all   this   semitropical   voluptuousness.     Instead    of    the 
snowberry,  let  us  plant  the  oleander  and  crape-myrtle  in  profusion,  with 
their  brilliant  abundance  of  southland  bloom  and  coloring;  instead  of 
the  syringa,  let  us  plant  the  real  orange,  and  have  no  mockery  about  it. 
Let  us  use  the  banana  freely,  and  the  charming  bamboos,  with  their 
rustle  and  glistening  cleanliness  in  the  eternal  sunshine,  the  whispering 
music  every  passing  breeze  plays  on  the  Jew's-harps  of  their  myriad  of 
leaves  and  slender  twigs.     But,  above  all,  let  us  have  the  palms  in  great 
abundance;  not  one  lonely  specimen  on  a  level,  unmitigating  lawn,  but 
groups  of  them,  and,  if  space  permits,  groves  of  them,  raising,  in  timer 
their  crowned  heads  above  thickets   of   oleanders  shaded   by  feathery 
acacias.     And  right  here  I  would  like  to  say  a  word  for  a  tree  of  great 
impressiveness, — the    Italian    cypress, — misused,  abused,    clipped,    and 
amputated  into  ugly  malformations,  their  picturesque,  slender  ragged- 
ness  shorn  off  them.     What  charms  do  not  these  trees,  in  their  natural- 
ness, lend  to  the  landscapes  of  bella  Italia,  planted  in  small  groups  in 
some  old  villa  garden,  rising  in  slender,  wind-bowing  solemnity,  dark 
and  classic ;  or  on  a  hillside,  their  dark  raggedncss  outlined  against  dis- 


RAILWAY    GARDENING    IN    CALIFORNIA.  79 

tant  blue  mountains;  or  crowning  the  top  of  the  hills  in  a  grove  about 
an  ancient  temple !  We  should  plant  them,  also,  on  our  California  cam- 
pagnas — in  groups  in  our  railway  gardens,  looking  proudly  over  our 
plains  to  long  distances,  telling  from  afar  where  the  garden  lies,  where 
the  water  flows. 

A  California  railway  garden  should  not  have  the  northern  trees  and 
shrubs  in  it;  not  try  to  imitate  the  charms  of  the  northern  gardens. 
They  would  be  a  failure  with  us  compared  to  those  in  their  homeland. 
Ours  must  own  another  charm,  more  passionate,  more  intense  in  form 
and  color;  it  must  contain  the  superabundance,  almost  voluptuousness, 
of  the  southlands.  Do  not  try  to  mix  the  two  together,  either.  It  is 
harrowing  to  sensitive  nerves  to  see  the  northern  pine  or  spruce  next 
neighbor  to  the  palm  on  the  same  lawn,  even  in  the  same  inclosure.  Do 
not  let  us  cover  the  walls,  the  rockeries  of  a  palm  garden  with  the  cold 
English  ivy.  The  corpse  of  the  northern  winter  never  leaves  its  rigid 
limbs,  its  soulless  leaves  and  flowers.  A  southland  plant  looks  forlorn 
in  its  nearness,  and  homesick.  Let  us  use  the  climbers  of  graceful  Japan 
and  other  sunny  lands  like  our  own;  let  us  not  try  to  borrow  character 
from  other  climes  for  our  gardens,  because  they  would  thus  remind  us 
of  former  associations.  They  would  always  prove  a  disappointment, 
anyway,  for  the  charm  of  those  climes  would  not  follow  the  plants  in 
their  far  southward  wandering.  If  we  imitate,  let  us  go  to  the  gardens 
of  Italy  for  instruction,  to  the  old  gardens  of  the  province,  to  the  sacred 
hills  of  Greece,  to  the  dolce  lands  of  the  Mediterranean  shores,  to  Japan, 
and  the  islands  of  southern  seas.  Let  us  bring  home  the  classic  grace 
of  these  gardens  with  as  little  as  possible  of  their  stiffness;  a  new  gar- 
den west  of  the.  Sierras,  a  medley  of  the  form-strong  old  with  the  lib- 
erty of  the  natural  of  our  time,  to  surround  the  great  new  culture  spring- 
ing up  on  our  sun-kissed  shores,  as  those  ancient  gardens  once  sur- 
rounded the  great  culture  which  long  ago  was  young  on  the  Mediter- 
ranean hills.  Then  we  have  created  something  new  in  America;  then, 
indeed,  we  have  an  invitation  to  extend  to  the  frozen  north  and  the 
east  to  come  and  see  our  southland  gardens.  And  when  they  return, 
they  will  linger  with  them  like  a  dream  of  the  old  and  the  new,  of 
sunlight  and  magnificent  color,  of  life-saps  that  never  rest. 

This,  as  far  as  the  limited  plots  allow,  should  be  the  character  of  a 
Calif ornian  railway  garden.  When  borne  in  swiftness  by  the  iron  horse 
past  them,  something  varied,  complex,  something  intense,  something 
strikingly  southlandish,  should  grasp  the  appreciation  of  the  traveler, 
not  details  of  single  propped-up  overgrown  flowers,  nor  single  dainty 
hybrids,  but  a  striking  totality  of  form  and  color  which  his  eye  and  mind 
can  grasp  in  the  minute  the  train  stops  at  the  depot  ere  it  again 
speeds  on. 


gO  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

But  it  takes  money  to  plant  and  properly  maintain  such  railroad 
gardens,  and  here  is  where  the  shoe  pinches.  There  are  so  many  other 
things,  and  I  admit  more  necessary  things,  which  go  before  the  posies 
in  railway  building  and  maintenance. 

To  bring  a  railway  garden  to  perfection  the  gardener  should  be 
allowed  a  certain  yearly  fund  to  draw  upon.  Without  the  knowledge 
and  certainty  of  this,  he  can  not  work  systematically  nor  intelligently. 
With  it  he  can  lay  his  plans,  grasp  the  best  opportunities  for  culture, 
for  planting,  for  care  and  protection  against  insect  and  rodent  enemies. 
With  it  he  can  give  foreordained  character  to  his  gardens,  obliterate 
the  patchworky  impression  of  a  fundless  groping  in  the  dark.  He  can 
do  each  thing  in  its  right  time,  a  most  important  condition  for  a  gar- 
dener. Large  amounts  are  not  absolutely  needed.  Nobody  can  do  more 
with  a  little  money  than  a  gardener,  if  he  knows  for  sure,  and  in  good 
time,  how  much  he  has.  It  sometimes  seems  difficult  for  a  railway  man 
to  appreciate  that  there  is  a  certain  time  for  planting,  a  certain  time 
for  pruning.  It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  system  is  as  important  in 
the  garden  as  it  is  in  the  office,  that  implements  are  as  much  needed 
there  as  are  pen  and  ink  in  the  office.  The  only  difference  is  that  you 
have  to  battle  with  the  whole  of  nature  outside,  while  in  the  office  the 
sun  shines  not,  nor  does  it  rain  on  the  godly  nor  the  ungodly. 

There  is  one  practical  feature  about  railroad  gardening  I  like  to 
speak  about.  All  railroads  own  land  lying  vacant,  uncultivated,  un- 
remunerative.  These  lands  in  great  parts  of  California  could  be  put 
under  very  profitable  forest  culture.  All  railroads  have  a  great  use  for 
bridge  material,  for  wharf  piles,  for  poles,  and  wood.  The  eucalypti 
produce  these  in  good  quantity  and  splendid  quality  in  a  short  time. 
I  have  been  informed  by  bridge-builders  of  experience  that  the  eucalypti 
7nake  the  best  piles  in  the  world  on  account  of  their  long  resistance 
against  the  inroads  of  the  teredo.  I  believe  a  pile  of  better  quality  than 
the  one  that  now  costs  the  railways  $8.00  could  be  produced  on  such 
lands  as  the  railways  in  California  possess,  for  the  price  of  one  dol- 
lar, and  within  the  limit  of  fifteen  years.  But  this  is  a  matter  which 
time  does  not  permit  me  to  speak  of  here  to-day. 

Before  I  close  I  would  like  to  tell  you  about  a  garden  I  passed 
through  the  other  day,  which  this  year  of  abundant  rain  has  clothed 
with  indescribable  beauty.  The  Mojave  Desert  is  now  to-day,  un- 
hesitatingly I  say  it,  the  most  beautiful  garden  in  California.  Over 
its  gray  sands  lies  a  carpet  of  flowers  as  richly  colored  as  the 
finest  tapestry  and  far  more  delicate.  There  are  the  finest  shades  of 
pink,  of  purple,  of  blue,  of  yellow,  of  creamy  white,  which  only  the 
desert,  with  its  burning  heat,  can  produce  in  its  tender,  short-lived  chil- 
dren. And  the  concert  of  these  colors  is  indescribably  beautiful  under 


RAILWAY    GARDENING    IN    CALIFORNIA.  81 

this  blue  sky,  among  these  wild  hills,  which,  in  their  barrenness,  seemed 
to  have  dropped  from  the  waterless  regions  of  the  moon.  But  do  not  let 
me  forget  the  colors  of  earth  and  rocks.  These  hills  seem  in  the  dis- 
tance covered  with  a  soft  texture,  as  fine  as  and  with  the  color  of  a 
tiger's  skin,  with  its  dark  dots  where  the  yuccas  grow,  of  a  bunch  of 
greasewood  here  and  there,  or  a  bunch  of  low-spreading  cacti.  Here 
and  there  a  deep  slash  in  the  softness  of  the  skin  shows  the  underlying 
red  of  the  flesh  fading  into  bluish  gray.  Great  ragged  cliffs  of  rusty  red 
sometimes  break  through  the  flower  carpet  of  the  desert's  level,  holding 
on  their  crests  fantastic  ruins  of  ogre  castles;  and  the  yuccas  hold  up 
their  immense  candlesticks  pointed  with  the  great,  tapering  candles  of 
their  waxy  bloom.  Over  it  all  the  quivering,  heated  air  of  the  desert, 
and  far  to  the  west,  against  its  heaven-girthed  horizon,  rise  the  islands 
of  the  mirage  sea,  sending  its  phantom  waves  into  the  garden,  lapping 
inaudibly  against  these  dreamland  shores.  The  variety  of  bloom  in  the 
Mojave  Desert  this  year  was  indeed  surprising  to  me.  I  should  not 
dare  to  give  you  names  of  any  of  them,  here  in  these  sacred  halls  of 
science;  but  if  my  eyes  did  not  deceive  me  in  the  swift  passing  of  the 
train  through  this  garden,  I  saw  considerable  fine  material  for  a  Carl 
Purdy,  in  the  form  of  bulbous  plants. 

Looking  across  this  desert  garden,  with  its  refined  harmony  of  colors, 
its  intense  warmth,  so  free  of  all  sensuousness,  so  exactly  moderate  in 
its  placing  and  spacing  of  plants  and  open  soil,  so  devoid  of  the  coarse 
and  the  crowdedness  of  soils  and  plants  which  have  water  forever  and 
in  overabundance,  I  felt  how  great  and  masterly  were  the  soul  and-  the 
hand  of  the  gardener  who  planned  and  executed  its  existence. 

Stockton,  Gal. 


82  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

CACTI  AND  THEIK  CULTUKE. 

BY  MRS.   HENRY  P.   TRICOU. 

With  all  that  has  been  written  and  read  by  our  members  on  the 
wild  flowers  of  our  state,  no  one  has  thought  of  the  cactus,  which  certainly 
occupies  an  important  place  among  the  wild  flora  of  California  growing 
in  the  desert  regions.  Nearly  all  cacti  are  native  of  America,  and,  it 
seems  to  me,  ought  to  be  our  national  flower. 

These  interesting  plants  require  but  little  care,  and  live  for  many 
years,  the  number  of  flowers  increasing  with  the  age  of  the  plant.  Their 
greatest  attraction  consist  in  curious  and  odd  formations,  variously  - 
colored  spines,  and  often  enormous  flowers  of  great  substance  and  beauty, 
charming  us  with  their  brilliant  colors  and  delightful  perfumes.  There 
is  nothing  in  plant  life  that  presents  so  striking  an  appearance  as  a  well- 
arranged  collection  of  cacti. 

From  an  article  in  a  southern  journal  I  quote  the  following:  "All 
cacti  have  strange  and  interesting  shapes;  nearly  all  have  showy  and 
exquisitely-beautiful  flowers,  and  many  bear  fruit  which  is  by  no  means 
to  be  despised.  Nowhere  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  (not  even  among 
the  orchids)  is  it  possible  to  make  so  large  an  assemblage  of  such  dis- 
similar forms  within  the  same  family — from  1  inch  to  60  feet,  from  the 
size  of  a  carriage  whip  to  that  of  a  barrel,  from  the  slender  ucatilla  to 
the'angular  opuntia,  from  the  fairy's  pincushion  to  the  hirsute  grizzly 
bear,  and  so  on  indefinitely."  And  again:  "Any  one  who  has  ever  seen 
southern  Arizona  bewitched  by  the  first  rains  and  turned  from  gray 
sand  to  a  living  carpet  of  tiny  wild  flowers,  starred  here  and  there  with 
the  gorgeous  blossoms  of  the  cacti,  knows  one  of  the  most  wonderful 
sights  in  nature,  while  the  lives  of  thousands  of  animals  have  been  liter- 
ally saved  by  those  strange  vegetable  water  tanks  in  the  land  of  thirst. 
Every  cactus  is  a  reservoir,  born  and  bred  amid  universal  drought;  it 
stores  moisture  for  its  own  needs,  and  is  often  the  salvation  of  its  ani- 
mate superiors.  Many  a  prospector,  lost  in  the  desert,  would  have 
perished  miserably  but  for  this  cooling  pulp." 

Families  of  Cacti.— Cacti  are  divided  into  several  families,  according 
to  the  characteristics  of  the  many  varieties,  as  manner  of  growth  of 
stems,  whether  upright,  clinging,  or  trailing,  round,  oval,  or  globose, 
have  long,  broad,  or  hairy-like  spines,  grow  singly  or  in  clusters,  or 
flat-stemmed,  have  tubular  or  stem  flowers. 

The  principal  families  are  Cereus  Echinocactus,  Echinocereus, 
Echmopsis,  Analonium,  Mamilaria,  Rhipsalis,  Epiphyllum,  Melocactus, 
Filocereus,  and  Phyllocactus. 


CACTI   AXD   THEIR   CULTURE.  83 

Culture. — All  bear  seeds  which  germinate  easily,  but  the  plants  take 
such  a  long  time  to  grow  and  flower  that  it  is  better  to  raise  them  from 
cuttings,  or  to  buy  small  plants,  which,  except  in  rare  varieties,  are 
inexpensive.  The  flowers  are  generally  short  lived,  lasting  from  one 
night  to  four  or  five  days,  and  ranging  in  color  through  all  the  shades 
of  red,  yellow,  pink,  purple,  and  many  white  ones. 

Cereus. — The  growth  varies  a  great  deal  in  the  different  genera. 
Cereus  are  mostly  upright,  but  some  have  clinging  and  trailing  stems. 
The  largest  cactus  known  is  the  Cereus  Gigantea,  of  Arizona,  growing 
in  great  columns  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  high,  their  lofty  heads  crowned 
with  white  flowers.  Cereus  Columbrinas,  that  cylindrical  cactus,  full 
of  short  spines,  so  often  seen  in  our  gardens,  is  one  of  the  tall,  very^ 
straight  growers,  a  night  bloomer,  and  bears  tubular  white  flowers. 

Grandiflora. — The  Grandiflora  belongs  to  the  climbing  and  clinging 
species.  The  stems  are  thin,  with  very  small  spines  in  clusters,  and  have 
long,  thread-like  roots,  which  hang  down  and  attach  themselves  to 
the  trunks  of  trees.  Reglei,  Grandiflorus,  McDonaldi,  Xycticalus,  and 
Rostratus  are  among  these,  the  last  mentioned  being  the  only  red  night- 
blooming  cereus.  Reglei  has  the  grandest  flower  of  any  cactus  I  have 
ever  seen.  Two  years  ago  one  of  mine  bloomed  whose  flower  measured 
eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  The  petals  were  very  narrow,  of  a  waxy 
white,  sepals  tipped  with  a  bright  red,  the  innumerable  silky  stamens 
sending  out  a  delightful  and  delicate  perfume.  Although  lasting  only 
a  few  hours,  the  one  flower  amply  repaid  me  for  the  little  care  bestowed 
upon  this  plant.  Grandifloras  are  all  epiphites,  and  in  their  native 
tropical  homes  hang  from  the  trees,  heavy  with  the  weight  of  their  own 
magnificent  blossoms,  filling  the  air  with  their  sweet  fragrance. 

Flagelliformis  is  the  best  known  of  the  trailing  cereus.  This  little 
plant,  commonly  called  the  rattail  cactus,  from  the  form  of  its  stem,  is 
a  very  rapid  grower,  profuse  bloomer,  and  bears  many  small  crimson 
flowers. 

Speciocissimus,  a  three  or  four-sided  cereus,  very  spiny,  is  too  well 
known  to  need  description.  It  has  large  red  flowers,  with  purple  shad- 
ing inside. 

Rare  Forms. — Many  cacti  from  some  cause  become  malformed,  and 
make  all  sorts  of  strange  growths,  sometimes  completely  changing  their 
forms.  These  monstrosities  are  very  scarce  and  high  priced,  and  are 
very  highly  valued  by  collectors.  The  most  wonderful  of  these  is 
Flagelliformis  Cristata,  which  resembles  an  elk  horn,  and  is  called 
elkhorn  cactus.  Munseys  for  September,  1898,  mentions  a  cactus  that 
grows  in  a  garden  of  the  College  of  Oahu,  two  miles  from  Honolulu: 
"The  pride  of  the  college,  botanical ly,  is  a  hedge  of  night-blooming 
cereus,  1,500  feet  long,  which  often  has  as  many  as  10,000  blossoms  open 


84  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

at  once,  and  fills  the  whole  neighborhood  with  its  wonderful  perfume." 
A  letter  from  Mexico,  describing  a  Triangularis,  says:  "Surround- 
ing the  house  on  every  side  was  a  gigantic  Cereus  Triangularis  in  fan- 
tastic shapes  and  shades,  with  innumerable  magnificent  flowers,  of  purer 
spotless  white,  bedewed  with  watery  pearls  that  twinkled  under  the 
moon's  gaze  as  so  many  bright  diamonds.  It  was  impossible  to  num- 
ber those  large  white  flowers;  every  sprout  had  a  flower;  all  the  tri- 
angular vine  was  mantled  in  white." 

The  Echinocactus  is  distinguished  by  its  symmetrical,  round  or 
oblong  stem,  and-  beautifully-colored  spines,  which  sometimes  are  very 
long,  and  twist  and  curl  themselves  around  the  plant;  others  are  so 
short  that  they  barely  cover  the  lengthwise  ridges  upon  the  stem.  Many 
grow  to  an  enormous  size,  have  handsome  pink,  yellow,  or  purple 
flowers,  and  edible  fruits.  These  require  plenty  of  sunshine,  light,  and 
air,  and  no  water  during  the  winter  season,  only  at  growing  time.  The 
flowers  grow  from  the  top  of  the  plants.  Many  of  the  Echinocacti 
change  the  color  of  the  spines  to  pink,  red,  and  purple  when  the  plants 
are  watered,  returning  to  their  neutral  tints  when  they  become  dry. 
The  finest  Echinocacti  are  Grusoni,  with  yellow  spines ;  Le  Contei,  with 
red  and  white  spines;  and  Cylindracens,  with  spines  of  red,  pink,  and 
white.  The  Echinocereus  grow  singly  and  in  clusters,  are  mostly  oblong, 
and  flowers  are  white,  red,  purple,  and  yellow,  from  the  sides  of  the 
stems.  They  often  have  small  flowers  in  a  circle  around  the  plant, 
opening  only  in  sunshine.  CaBSpitosus  and  Candicans — the  former  with 
its  wonderfully  fragrant  blossoms,  and  the  latter  with  very  beautiful 
flowers — are  among  the  best  Echinocereus. 

Echinopsis  are  low  and  globular,  and  very  perfectly  formed.  There 
are  only  a  few  of  this  variety,  the  best  known  being  Eyriesii  and  Mulere 
— white  and  pink.  The  Echinopsis  have  generally  small  spines,  and 
are  particularly  distinguished  by  their  tubular  flowers,  which  are  very 
fragrant,  the  Eyriesii  being  a  night-bloomer. 

Mammilarias  are  a  large  family,  very  pretty  and  perfect  in  their 
round  and  oblong  forms,  and  carry  their  spines  at  the  apex  of  their 
tubercles;  flowers  are  white,  pink,  yellow,  and  purple,  opening  only  in 
the  sunshine.  Lasiacantha  looks  like  a  ball  of  tiny  white  feathers,  the 
spines  are  so  beautifully  formed.  Macromeris,  Microthele,  and  Minima 
are  symmetrical  with  the  spines  in  minute  white  stars  all  over  them. 
Any  one  who  loves  what  is  beautiful  in  nature  can  not  help  loving  the 
little  Mammilarias,  which  are  the  gems  of  a  cactus  collection. 

All  of  the  oblong  and  oval  among  the  cacti  require  very  little  water. 
These  should  be  kept  dry  all  winter,  and  only  wet  in  their  growing 
season— the  spring  and  early  summer.  The  soil  should  be  very  sandy, 
mixed  with  old  lime,  and  very  small  pots  should  be  used,  half  filled  with 
stones. 


CACTI   AND   THEIR   CULTURE.  <S5 

Opuntias,  which  are  very  numerous,  seein  to  be  the  coarse  members 
of  the  cactus  family.  They  are  flattened,  oval,  and  round-stemmed, 
have  branches,  and  make  large,  heavy  plants.  The  young  stems  have 
little  growths  like  leaves,  which  dry  up  and  drop  off  when  the  stems 
are  older.  Opuntias  sometimes  have  such  an  impenetrable  growth  that 
they  are  used  for  hedges.  0.  Arborescens  is  said  to  grow  in  trees  in 
Arizona,  and  the  wood  is  made  into  canes  and  many  useful  articles. 

Many  Opuntias  bear  fruit  resembling  figs,  which  is  used  as  food 
by  the  Indians  of  Arizona.  Some  Opuntias  are  covered  with  long, 
silvery-white  or  gray,  hair-like  spines,  bear  large,  handsome  flowers,  and 
are  very  beautiful.  The  Epiphyllums,  known  as  "crab's  claw  cacti,"  are 
winter-blooming  plants,  and  to  insure  a  greater  number  of  blossoms 
should  be  kept  dry  from  September  to  November.  At  other  times  these 
species  of  cacti  require  plenty  of  water,  and  grow  better  if  grafted  on 
Pereskia  or  some  rapid-growing  cereus,  as  they  are  of  pendulous  growth. 
There  are  many  varieties  in  color — red,  pink,  and  purple.  The  best 
are  Truncatum  and  Russellianum  Gaertneri.  The  latter  is  of  a  scarlet 
color  and  very  beautiful.  Pereskia  Aculeata  is  a  plant  resembling  an 
orange  or  lemon  tree,  as  it  bears  similar  leaves  and  flowers,  is  used  to 
graft  cactus  upon,  and  will  stand  much  more  water  than  a  cactus. 

Pilocereus  are  a  very  attractive  family  of  cactus,  some  being  very 
curious,  their  spines  resembling  white  or  gray  hairs.  The  most  familiar 
is  P.  Senilis.  This  has  a  stout,  pale  green,  globose  stem,  and  is  covered 
with  long,  silvery-white  hair,  which  hangs  down,  covering  the  plant,  the 
top  resembling  the  crown  of  an  old  man's  head.  Hence  its  name  of 
old  man  cactus.  All  the  Pilocerei  are  rare  and  valuable. 

Most  of  the  cacti  commonly  seen  in  our  gardens  belong  to  the 
Phyllocactus.  These  are  flat-stemmed,  and  very  profuse  bloomers. 
Many  have  different-colored  stems,  which  renders  them  very  striking; 
some  are  bluish-bronze,  some  dark  red,  and  others  different  shades  of 
green.  All  have  crenated  edges.  The  small  red  ones  seen  everywhere 
are  Coccineus.  Ackermanni  bears  a  very  large,  bright  red  flower,  with 
very  pointed,  wavy  petals.  The  Aurora  superbus,  raised  and  named  by 
Mrs.  L.  0.  Hodgkins,  has  magnificent  scarlet  blossoms  ten  to  twelve 
inches  wide. 

The  grandest  of  the  many  pink  varieties  is  Stenopetalus,  which  grows 
into  a  very  large  plant  and  bears  a  delicately-perfumed  flower  in  nearly 
every  crenature,  from  8  to  10  inches  wide,  of  an  exquisite  shade  of  salmon 
pink.  The  buds  are  also  very  beautiful.  Roseus  Superbus,  Speciosa, 
and  Phyllanthoides  are  all  pretty,  pink-flowered,  with  smaller  blossoms. 
Wrayi,  Albus  Superbus,  and  many  others  make  handsome  plants,  and 
are  good  bloomers,  bearing  great  numbers  of  flowers  ranging  from  ten 
to  fourteen  inches  wide,  of  creamy  white  to  pure  white,  and  very  fra- 


86  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

grant.  These  are  all-day  bloomers— flowers  lasting  several  days.  Angu- 
liger  has  the  sides  of  the  stem  cut  in  deep  notches  like  the  teeth  of  a 
saw,  is  of  a  light  green  color,  a  winter  bloomer,  and  bears  small  white, 
fragrant  flowers.  This  cactus,  with  Latifrons,  called  the  Queen  cactus, 
and  Hooperi,  are  among  the  finest  of  the  white  Phyllocacti. 
San  Francisco,  Col. 


PROTECTION  OF  GARDENS  FROM  FROST. 

BY   ALEXANDER   G.    MC  ADIE. 

Much  attention  has  been  given  in  the  past  five  years  in  this  state 
to  the  matter  of  protecting  our  citrus  fruits  from  injury  by  frost.  Dur- 
ing the  past  two  years  more  particularly  the  entire  question  of  frost 
fighting,  with  reference  to  deciduous  as  well  as  citrus  fruits,  has  been 
discussed  and  studied  with  some  detail  in  various  parts  of  the  United 
States.  The  interests  involved  in  fruit-growing  in  this  state  are  so 
vast  that  even  a  very  small  margin  of  saving  on  each  ranch  amounts 
in  the  aggregate  to  a  vast  sum.  It  is  a  difficult  matter  to  estimate  with 
any  degree  of  accuracy  what  the  percentage  of  loss  of  prospective  crop 
by  frost  is  in  any  year ;  but  with  oranges,  for  example,  where  the  frost 
occurs  about  the  time  the  fruit  is  ready  for  shipment,  a  rough  estimate 
may  be  ventured ;  and  from  all  of  the  various  reports  which  have  been 
available  to  me  during  my  experience  of  five  years  as  Forecast  Official 
and  Director  or  Assistant  Director  of  the  California  Climate  and  Crop 
Service,  I  would  hazard  the  opinion  that  the  total  annual  loss  of  citrus 
fruit  by  frost  has  been  reduced  from  about  twenty  per  cent  of  the  crop 
to  less  than  ten  per  cent.  On  a  valuation  of  $10,000,000  this  repre- 
sents a  saving  of  one  million  dollars. 

With  deciduous  fruits  the  problem  is  somewhat  different.  The 
great  danger  to  almonds,  apricots,  grapes,  peaches,  and  prunes  comes 
with  the  frosts  of  March  and  April,  and  is  to  the  buds  or  tender  fruit, 
and  not,  as  with  the  oranges,  the  ripened  fruit.  Up  to  a  certain  point 
orchardists  agree  that  late  spring  frosts  are  beneficial  in  thinning  out 
surplus  fruit.  The  damage  depends  as  much  upon  the  condition  of 
the  tree  almost  as  the  degree  and  duration  of  the  cold.  That  is  to. say, 
a  sharp  frost  in  the  first  or  second  week  of  April  will  do  less  damage 

the  trees  are  fairly  passed  the  blossoming  period,  and  the  fruit  has 
had  a  little  time  to  set,  than  the  same  frosts  would  have  caused  about 
the  middle  of  March. 

I  am  not  aware  that  the  protection  of  gardens,  both  vegetable  and 
flower,  has  yet  received  any  special  attention;  yet  the  interests  repre- 
sented are  certainly  very  important  in  this  state."  In  the  present  paper 


PROTECTION  OF  GARDENS  FROM  FROST.  87 

;;n  attempt  will  be  made  to  apply  the  principles  and  methods  which 
have  been  tested  in  the  protection  of  citrus  and  deciduous  fruits  from 
frosts  to  the  protection  of  gardens.  A  word  of  warning  at  the  outset. 
It  is  very  probable  that  as  we  apply  these  different  methods  we  shall 
find  different  efficiencies,  and  it  may  be  that  some  especially  efficient 
method  may  be  worked  out  for  gardens,  entirely  different  from  those 
best  suited  for  fruit.  In  brief,  as  each  rancher  has  had  to  determine  for 
himself  the  special  method  best  adapted  for  his  locality,  his  crop,  and 
the  time  of  the  year  which  is  most  critical  for  him,  so  each  gardener 
must  work  out  his  own  individual  problem.  The  general  conditions 
preceding  frosts,  the  physical  processes  at  work  in  the  formation  of 
frost,  and  the  different  ways  of  remedying  the  ill  effects  of  a  sudden  fall 
in  temperature,  can  be  given;  and  with  these  the  gardener  must  deter- 
mine for  himself  by  actual  tests  the  most  efficient  processes  for  his 
particular  garden. 

LIKELIHOOD    OF    FROST. 

Frost,  as  a  rule,  occurs  in  California  between  the  middle  of  Octo- 
ber and  the  first  of  May,  although  light  frosts  have  occurred  in  the 
Sacramento  Valley,  for  example,  as  late  as  May  17.  The  particular 
frosts  with  which  we  are  concerned  in  the  protection  of  vegetable  and 
flower  gardens  are  the  frosts  of  February,  March,  and  the  first  two 
weeks  in  April.  Inquiry  of  the  Weather  Bureau  at  any  date  in  March 
will  elicit  information  as  to  whether  frost  is  likely  to  occur  on  that 
night  or  not.  In  the  absence  of  such  information,  and  if  the  gardener 
is  without  a  sling  psychrometer  (which,  by  the  way,  no  skilful  gardener 
or  orchardist  should  be  without),  a  clear,  still  night  following  thirty- 
six  or  forty-eight  hours  of  boisterous  north  wind  is  to  be  considered 
dangerous.  Frost  occurs  whenever  the  movement  of  the  air  in  a  local- 
ity has  been  such  as  to  result  in  a  settling  of  cold  and  relatively  dry 
layers  in  hollows  or  even  slight  depressions  of  the  land.  The  forma- 
tion of  frost  is  essentially  a  problem  in  air  drainage,  and  if  by  any 
means  we  can  prevent  these  pools  or  basins  of  stagnant,  cold,  dry  air, 
we  can  prevent  largely  the  formation  of  frost.  It  may  be  pointed  out 
that  what  we  call  frost  is  the  deposition  of  the  water  vapor  upon  the 
plant  at  a  temperature  of  32  degrees  or  bielow.  What  really  does  the 
•damage  to  plant  life  is  the  fall  in  temperature,  and  the  water  vapor  only 
plays  the  part  of  an  exponent.  Indeed,  the  action  of  the  water  vapor  is 
preventive,  and,  as  we  shall  see  further  on  in  connection  with  delicate 
flowers,  a  coating  of  ice  is  in  many  ways  one  of  the  best  protections 
against  injury.  Every  gardener,  therefore,  should  familiarize  himself 
with  what  may  be  called  the  air  drainage  system  of  his  locality.  So 
long  as  the  air  is  in  motion,  the  temperature  is  less  apt  to  fall  to  a  low 


88  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGEESS. 

point  than  when  the  air  is  stagnant.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  light  small 
straw  fires  and  study  the  movement  of  the  smoke.  Dry  air  at  a  tem- 
perature of  32  degrees  weighs  563  grains  per  cubic  foot.  The  vapor 
of  water  at  32  degrees  with  a  saturation  of  100  per  cent  weighs  2.1 
grains  per  cubic  foot.  Air  at  a  temperature  of  25  degrees  Fahrenheit 
weighs  572  grains  per  cubic  foot.  It  is  plain,  then,  that  in  time,  pro- 
vided there  is  little  motion  of  the  air,  the  heavier,  colder  layers  will 
settle  to  the  bottom.  The  loss  of  heat  by  radiation  from  the  plant  sur- 
faces and  the  ground  is  very  rapid,  and  with  a  drop  in  temperature,  say 
from  32  degrees  to  25  degrees,  each  cubic  foot  of  air  has  increased  in 
weight  about  9  grains.  This  explains  why  we  often  notice  the  ground 
covered  with  frost  while  thermometers  six  feet  above  the  ground  will 
record  34  degrees  or  36  degrees,  and  at  a  height  of  ten  or  twelve  feet 
above  the  ground  will  indicate  a  temperature  of  sometimes  40  degrees. 
Vegetables  and  flowers,  therefore,  unless  grown  upon  sloping  or  ter- 
raced ground,  are  at  a  decided  disadvantage  compared  with  tree  fruit 
in  the  matter  of  frosts. 

NATURE    OF    FROST. 

It  can  not  be  too  clearly  emphasized  that  it  is  the  low  temperature 
and  not  the  solidification  of  the  water  which  is  to  be  guarded  against.  If 
there  be  very  little  vapor  in  the  air  there  may  be  but  a  slight  amount  of 
frost  apparent,  and  yet  the  temperature  be  so  low  as  to  do  great  injury. 
The  so-called  hard,  dry  frosts,  also  called  black  frosts,  do,  as  is  well 
known,  much  more  injury  than  the  heavy  frosts.  Water  vapor  at  25 
degrees,  completely  saturated,  weighs  1.6  grains  per  cubic  foot.  In  the 
fall  from  32  degrees  to  25  degrees,  nearly  half  a  grain  per  cubic  foot  (if 
the  saturation  were  100  per  cent)  would  be  condensed,  appearing  in 
visible  form  as  a  frost  flake.  A  certain  amount  of  heat  was  oriven  off 
in  the  transformation  of  this  invisible  water  vapor  into  ice,  and  an 
exactly  equal  amount  of  heat  (known  as  the  latent  heat  of  vaporiza- 
tion) will  be  in  turn  required  to  change  this  frost  flake  back  into 
vapor.  We  give  special  attention  to  this  point  because  it  would  appear 
theoretically  that  the  secret  of  successful  protection  of  garden  truck  and 
delicate  flowers  will  be  found  in  this  action  of  water,  both  in  setting 
free  heat  at  the  time  when  the  temperature  is  falling,  and  on  the  other 
hand  in  using  up  heat  and  thus  acting  as  a  retard  or  brake  when  the 
temperature  begins  to  rise  quickly. 

It  is  now  quite  generally  believed  that  as  much  injury  results  from 
the  sudden  warming  up  of  the  dormant  and  thoroughly  "chilled  flower 
or  vegetable  as  from  the  chilling  itself.  In  the  work  of  protecting 
fruits  from  frost,  it  has  been  found  very  necessary  to  interpose  some 
screen  early  in  the  morning,  between  the  sun's  ravs  and  the  frosted 


PROTECTION    OF    GARDENS    FROM    FROST.  89 

fruit.     With  flowers  and  garden  truck  this  can  be  much  more  easily 
accomplished  than  with  fruit. 

In  this  respect  the  gardener  has  a  decided  advantage  over  the 
orchardist.  The  following  is  an  excellent  statement  of  how  the  plant  is 
injured : — 

HOW     LOW    TEMPERATURE     INJURES    PLANTS. 

"Low  temperature  congeals  the  watery  part  of  the  cell  sap,  and  also 
the  intercellar  water  content  of  the  plant ; ,  within  certain  limits  this 
is  not  or  may  not  be  injurious,  providing  the  protoplastic  contents  of 
the  cell  are  able  to  reabsorb  the  water  and  do  this  before  the  cell 
structure  collapses,  as  a  result  of  insufficient  cell  turgor.  Frequently 
the  frosting  of  plants  is  followed  by  a  sudden  raising  of  temperature, 
in  which  case  much  of  the  water  which  was  part  of  the  cell  sap  in  the 
normal  condition  of  the  plant  escapes  through  the  cell  wall  into  inter- 
cellular spaces  or  even  from  the  plant  entirely,  and  thus  the  proto- 
plasm of  the  cell,  being  unable  to  assume  its  normal  condition,  becomes 
disorganized,  and  decomposition  follows." — Professor  E.  R.  Lake,  in  the 
Oregon  Climate  and  Crop,  July,  1900. 

PROTECTIVE    MEASURES. 

From  what  precedes  it  is  evident  that  our  protective  methods  are 
of  two  kinds,  one  intended  to  prevent  the  fall  in  temperature  to  the 
critical  point,  and  the  other  intended  to  prevent  a  too  sudden  warm- 
ing of  the  chilled  plant. 

Under  the  first  class  the  most  effective  method  is  that  of  the  wire 
baskets.  The  cost  of  the  wire  basket  is  about  ten  cents,  the  cost  of  the 
fuel  per  night  can  hardly  exceed  twenty-five  cents,  and  to  these  add  the 
cost  of  labor  in  refilling  the  baskets  on  the  succeeding  day.  One  such 
basket  should  protect  an  area  of  about  six  hundred  square  feet.  Experi- 
ments in  the  orange  groves  have  shown  that  with  twenty-five  or  thirty 
of  these  baskets  to  the  acre,  the  temperature  has  been  raised  four  or  five 
degrees.  There  are  other  methods  of  warming  the  air,  but  this  is  prob- 
ably the  cleanest  and  most  satisfactory.  Oil  pots  are  apt  to  leave  a 
deposit  of  soot  which  may  be  objectionable.  Opposed  to  the  methods 
of  direct  warming  or  heating  are  methods  based  upon  screening  OP 
covering.  The  purpose  here  is  to  prevent  the  fall  in  temperature  by 
choking  off  radiation.  In  other  words,  as  with  a  hothouse,  we  aim  to 
entrap  the  earth's  heat,  and  prevent  its  dissipation  into  space.  It 
would  seem  theoretically  that  this  method  might  be  used  with  great  suc- 
cess in  the  protection  of  gardens,  because  the  construction  of  a  screen 
three  or  four  feet  above  the  ground  is  a  less  difficult  matter  than  the 
erection  of  such  a  screen  sufficiently  high  to  cover  fruit.  These  screens 


90  PACIFIC   STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

may  be  made  either  of  light  materials,  canvas,  muslin,  light  wood- 
work, or  artificial  screens  may  be  made  of  smoke  given  off  damp  straw, 
old  wood,  primings,  manure,  etc.,  burning  briskly  and  occasionally 
doused  with  water.  All  of  these  screening  methods  have  the  advantage 
of  serving  as  a  barrier  between  the  chilled  fruit  and  the  sun's  rays  at 
the  time  of  sunrise,  and  therefore  also  come  under  the  second  class  of 
protective  methods. 

It  seems  to  me  that  we  shall  find  in  practise  that  a  generous  use  of 
water  will  be  highly  efficient  in  both  truck  and  flower  gardens.  The 
air  is  warmed,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  by  this  generous  use  of  water. 
As  was  pointed  out  before,  much  water  means  that  the  water  vapor  of 
High  saturation  will  be  condensed  as  the  temperature  falls,  and  a  large 
amount  of  heat  is  given  off  in  this  process  of  condensation.  It  requires 
heat  to  boil  water,  in  other  words,  to  cause  evaporation,  and  conversely 
just  as  much  heat  must  be  given  out  in  the  reverse  process  of  condens- 
ing the  vapor.  The  ground  mists  which  can  be  so  often  seen  on  cold, 
clear  nights  as  the  temperature  falls  illustrate  nicely  this  process  of 
nature  for  checking  a  too  rapid  fall  in  temperature.  Indeed,  the  water 
vapor  plays  a  part  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  governor  in  the 
engine-room.  Where  there  is  little  or  no  water  vapor,  the  fall  in  tem- 
perature is  extremely  rapid.  Where  there  is  much  water  vapor,  the 
<:urve  showing  the  fall  in  temperature  is  never  very  steep.  Do  not  for- 
get, therefore,  that  the  water  vapor,  even  if  it  does  turn  into  a  heavy 
frost  by  morning,  is,  nevertheless,  a  friend,  'and  prevents,  by  its  very 
act  of  solidification,  too  sharp  a  drop  in  temperature.  It  may  seem 
like  an  anomaly,  but  in  some  respects  the  heavier  this  deposition  of 
frost,  the  better  are  the  chances  of  the  flower  or  vegetable  escaping 
serious  injury. 

Gardens  should  be  irrigated,  and  at  nights  when  frosts  are  antici- 
pated, water  should  be  turned  on  in  the  ditches.  In  large  gardens  a 
very  efficient  way,  though  somewhat  expensive,  is  to  use  water  that  has 
been  partially  warmed,  having  a  temperature  say  of  from  60  to  80 


I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  I  believe  a  combination  of  wire 
baskets  and  running  water  will  carry  any  vegetable  or  flower  garden 
through  such  frost  periods  as  we  are  apt  to  have  in  this  state.  Indeed, 
I  think  protection  may  be  effective  with  the  temperature  as  low  as 
20  or  22  degrees. 

"Under  the  second  class  of  protective  methods  we  are  called  upon  to 
c-arry  the  chilled  flower  or  vegetable  from  its  "dormant  and  possibly  sap- 
injured  condition  back  to  normal  temperatures  without  further  injury 
of  the  cell  sap.  For  this  purpose  it  is  essential  that  the  warming  up 
must  be  gradual.  There  must  be  no  rapid  thawing  out  at  a  time  when 


GROWING  FLOWER  SEED  IN  THE  SANTA  CLARA  VALLEY.  91 

the  cells  are  in  no  condition  to  stand  strain.  A  good  method  is  to  spray 
the  plant  liberally  with  water,  and  even  should  the  water  turn  to  ice,  still 
the  chances  are  in  favor  of  the  plant.  Any  method  of  screening,  cover- 
ing, or  raising  a  dense,  steamy  smoke  can  be  used  advantageously. 

So  much  for  the  theory.     The  practise  rests  with  yourselves. 

U.  8.  Weather  Bureau,  San  Francisco. 


GROWING  FLOWER  SEED  IN  THE  SANTA  CLARA  VALLEY. 

. 

BY    LESTER    L.    MORSE. 

The  culture  of  flowers  for  seed  is  quite  different  from  vegetable-seed 
growing,  since  the  whole  concern  of  the  grower  is  to  get  good  blossoms, 
and  his  efforts  are  directed  toward  the  development  of  larger,  stronger, 
and  more  fragrant  blossoms,  as  well  as  a  greater  variety  of  shades  and 
colors.  In  vegetables,  of  course,  the  color,  shape,  or  size  of  the  blossom 
is  of  little  consequence,  since  at  the  period  of  blossoming  the  type  of  the 
vegetable  has  been  determined  and  the  rogueing  and  selecting  have  all 
been  done.  In  the  flower,  the  rogueing  and  selecting  must  be  done  when 
the  plant  is  in  full  bloom,  and  intelligent  work  in  this  requires  no  little 
experience. 

As  a  foreign  flower-seed  grower  of  wide  experience  remarked  to  me, 
"You  have  the  soil  and  climate  in  California,  but  you  lack  the  knowl- 
edge/' and  that  is  true.  Personally,  I  have  been  at  work  on  flower-seed 
growing  since  quite  a  boy,  having  experimented  with  a  great  many  dif- 

(ferent  varieties  and  species  of  flowers  for  seed,  and  am  now  interested 
in  the  culture  of  a  ponsiderable  acreage  of  them,  but  feel  that  as  yet  I 
have  not  the  knowledge  referred  to  by  my  friend. 
Seed-growing  in  all  of  its  branches  is  a  high  form  of  horticulture, — 
rather  higher  than  that  of  propagating  nursery  stock  or  of  growing 
fruit  and  vegetables  for  market, — but  of  all  of  the  departments  of  the 
seed  business  that  of  growing  flower  seed  is  the  most  refined  and  diffi- 
cult. It  means  a  great  deal  of  detail  work,  from  the  fact  that  prac- 
tically all  species  of  flowers  are  found  in  great  variety,  and  these  varie- 
ties run  in  a  wide  variation  of  shades  and  colors. 

Growing  flower  seed  carefully  means  that  every  shade  and  color  of 
every  variety  must  be  kept  separate  and  distinct,  and  even  mixtures, 
if  they  are  of  a  high  grade,  must  be  made  up  of  named  varieties  mixed 
together, — definite  quantities  of  -each  in  sufficient  amounts  to  properly 
blend  the  whole  or  to  give  the  mixture  a  well-balanced  assortment  of  all 
shades. 

My  knowledge  of  flower-seed  growing  in  the  Santa  Clara  Valley  is 


92  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

confined  practically  to  my  own  experience, — an  experience  dating  from 
my  boyhood,  for  when  a  schoolboy,  part  of  my  duties  on  the  farm  was 
to  look  after  the  flower  seeds. 

My  various  experiments  have  included  a  considerable  number  of 
kinds  of  flowers,  but  many  if  not  most  of  these  flowers  we  no  longer 
grow;  in  fact,  many  of  them  never  reached  a  plane  beyond  experiment, 
principally  on  account  of  their  proving  to  be  unprofitable. 

Such  flowers  as  we  have  grown  for  seed  in  sufficient  quantity  to  sell, 
and  can  be  properly  considered  well  tried,  are  represented  by  the  follow- 
ing list: — 

Aster,  sweet  alyssum,  balsam,  candytuft,  ccnturca,  calendula,  annual 
chrysanthemum,  calliopsis,  cosmos,  carnation,  coxscomb,  dianthus,  esch- 
scholtzia,  hunnemannia,  hollyhock,  helichrysum,  marigold,  mignonette, 
poppy,  verbena,  zinnia,  snapdragon,  marvel  of  Peru,  gaillardia,  scabiosa, 
phlox,  foxglove,  salpiglossis,  perennial  pea,  sweet  pea,  nasturtium,  sun- 
flower, sweet-william,  stocks,  smilax,  pansy,  molucella,  ricinus,  and 
nicotiana. 

These  are  items  that  we  have  grown  from  time  to  time.  Many  of 
them  we  have  given  up,  and  are  now  not  growing  more  than  half  this 
list. 

You  will  notice  that  most  of  these  flowers  are  annuals,  which  are  the 
most  natural  sorts  for  a  seed  grower  to  devote  his  time  to,  since  the 
demand  for  seed  in  quantity  would  be  more  largely  for  things  that 
must  be  replanted  every  year  from  seed,  and  can  not  be  propagated 
from  cuttings. 

The  nursery  business,  which  is  interested  wholly  in  selling  plants,  is 
quite  distinct  from  the  seed-growing  business,  on  this  account- 
Annuals,  being  the  most  easily  grown,  are  also  apt  to  be  the  least 
profitable,  since  prices  are  correspondingly  low ;  as,  for  instance,  mignon- 
ette, which  is  quoted  by  the  foreign  growers  as  low  as  sixteen  cents  per 
pound,  and  it  costs  us  nearly  that  to  harvest  it  here. 

Biennials  and  perennials  are  always  troublesome  to  carry  over  from 
season  to  season,  since  they  require  a  certain  amount  of  winter  cultiva- 
tion, and  are  in  constant  danger  of  being  drowned  out  in  a  wet  winter, 
or  killed  by  the  frost  when  the  cold  is  very  severe. 

While  many  things  can  be  sown  directly  in  the  field  and  thinned,  it 
is  better  to  start  all  fine  seeds  in  hot-beds  and  transplant  in  the  field 
when  of  the  proper  size  and  when  tender  plants  can  be  reasonably 
assured  that  all  danger  of  frost  is  over. 

This  process  of  transplanting  is  always  expensive,  representing  a 
great  deal  of  hand  labor,  but  it  is  important  and  usually  necessary, 
since  many  things  are  improved  by  it,  and  the  plant  has  larger  and 
better  flowers  m  consequence. 


GROWING  FLOWEK  SEED  IN   THE  SANTA  CLARA  VALLEY.  93 

Some  things,  such  as  poppies,  do  not  transplant  well,  and,  being  hardy 
in  our  climate,  are  sown  out-of-doors  in  the  field.  Once  in  the  field, 
next  come  the  hoeing  and  cultivating,  and  since  most  flowers  grown  for 
seed  are  more  or  less  delicate,  there  is  but  little  opportunity  for  horse 
work,  and  hand  cultivating  is  therefore  necessary  and  always  expensive. 

Of  course,  practically  all  flowers  want  deep,  rich  soil,  either  natu- 
rally so  or  made  so  by  fertilization,  and  they  require  a  great  deal  of 
moisture  in  summer  as  well  as  spring,  either  naturally  moist  soil  or 
irrigated  land. 

One  wants  to  get  a  good,  vigorous  growth  to  his  plants  to  get  the 
most  perfect  bloom  possible,  as  well  as  the  greatest  quantity  of  them, 
and  the  soil  and  climate  are  the  principal  elements  required  to  accom- 
plish this.  The  interesting  time  to  the  flower-seed  grower  is  when  his 
flowers  are  in  bloom.  Then  comes  the  period  of  rogueing  and  selecting 
and  marking  and  note  taking. 

There  is  practically  no  flower  in  this  age  of  advanced  scientific  cul- 
tivation but  what  has  been  developed  from  the  wild  state  by  process  of 
selection,  and  the  tendency  of  all  flowers  is  to  "sport;"  that  is,  its  seed 
will  produce  an  occasional  plant  whose  blossoms  are  of  different  shape 
or  size  or  color  from  the  true  type.  The  "sports"  are  frequently  inferior, 
since  the  flower  is  likely  to  revert  to  the  oldest  er  original  type,  and 
hence,  as  a  rule,  have  to  be  pulled  up  and  thrown  out,  a  process  we 
call  rogueing.  Not  only  inferior  types  must  be  rogued,  but  everything 
untrue,  and  the  thoroughness  and  intelligent  manner  of  this  rogueing 
are  what  determine  the  merit  of  the  seed  grower's  stocks. 

To  illustrate:  In  chrysanthemum-flowered  sunflower,  a  plant  is  fre- 
quently much  taller  than  his  fellows;  another  has  less  flowerets,  and  is, 
therefore,  less  double;  another's  fringe  of  outside  petals  is  too  large, 
and  while  each  "sport"  is  perhaps  a  desirable  flower  by  itself,  it  is  "off," 
and  must  come  out.  In  Scarlet  Defiance  verbenas,  on  the  other  hand, 
there  is  little  or  no  difference  in  the  flower  or  the  size  of  the  blossoms  on 
all  plants,  but  there  is  here  and  there  a  plant  of  different  shades  of 
red,  all  very  pretty  indeed,  but  "off,"  and  every  one  but  the  true,  bright 
scarlet  of  one  shade  must  be  pulled  up  and  thrown  out.  Again,  there 
are  tall  or  climbing  and  also  dwarf  types  of  many  things,  such  as 
sweet  peas  and  nasturtiums,  and  there  must  be  absolutely  no  mixture  of 
the  two  classes,  so  that  if  one  type  appears  in  the  other  it  must  come  out. 

Sometimes,  however,  it  is  neither  shape,  size,  nor  color,  but  time  that 
determines  a  rogue,  as  in  Queen  of  the  Market  aster,  for  instance.  This 
is  one  of  the  earliest  varieties  to  bloom,  and  should  there  be  some  tardy 
plants  which  fail  to  blossom  until  after  the  majority  of  the  others  are 
past  their  prime,  these  plants  ought  to  come  out.  Just  so  with  many 
other  kinds  of  flowers,  for  early  and  late  sorts  are  characteristic  of 
flowers  as  well  as  of  fruits  and  vegetables. 


94  PACIFIC    STATES    FLOKAL    COXGBESS. 

This  rogucing  process  is  required  to  keep  the  strains  pure  and  true 
to  name,  but  we  do  not  always  pull  up  and  throw  away  the  "sports." 
Many  of  our  best  varieties  of  flowers  were  once  a  sport  that  was  selected 
and  propagated,  and  it  is  only  experience  and  observation  that  can 
teach  us  which  arc  sports  to  be  valued,  and  which  to  be  discarded.  Fre- 
quently the  selection  made  and  saved  so  carefully  will  not  come  true 
again,  that  is,  it  will  not  reproduce  itself.  One  of  the  finest  asters  we 
ever  grew — a  large,  bright  crimson  branching  type — never  had  a  progeny 
that  was  half  its  equal,  and  the  product  from  the  original  broke  into 
a  great  variety  of  other  reds  and  whites  of  inferior  shapes  and  sizes,  and 
showed  only  a  few  that  approached  the  original,  while  the  subsequent 
products  of  these  were  even  less  desirable,  and  the  selection  proved  a 
total  failure,  with  its  natural  disappointment. 

The  seed-grower  must  have  every  type  of  the  true  stock  fixed  in  his 
mind,  and  his  own  planting  stock  must  be  selected  with  great  care.  He* 
should  always  select  whole  plants  producing  the  greatest  average  of  fine 
blossoms,  and  not  attempt  to  take  a  little  seed  from  the  pod  of  a  single 
flower.  He  must  select  and  reselect  over  and  over  again,  and  should 
not  use  stock  for  his  crops  that  is  not  a  selected  strain,  since  the  tendency 
is  so  strong  in  flowers  as  in  all  plants  to  deteriorate.  It  is  also  a  good 
plan  to  save  individual  selections,  that  is,  keep  the  seed  of  each  plant 
separate,  though  there  be  twenty  plants  selected  of  precisely  the  same 
thing.  This  method  secures  a  strain  that  Avill  be  superior,  since  some 
plants  are  better  reproducers  than  others,  and  the  strain  secured  from  a 
plant  that  shows  a  uniformity  of  color,  size,  and  vigor  is  much  the 
more  desirable. 

If  this  system  is  carried  out,  it  naturally  means  an  endless  detail  to 
a  business.  For  instance,  if  one  wishes  to  grow  ten  varieties  of  asters, 
it  is  not  a  great  assortment  at  all  to  have  twenty  colors  of  each  variety, 
and  each  color  must  be  grown  separately.  It  -would  require,  perhaps, 
that  twenty-five  or  thirty  plants  be  selected  for  stock  seed  to  get  the 
quantity  of  planting  stock  required,  and  these  plants  should  be  harvested 
in  separate  packages  and  all  put  under  one  tag.  A  number  of  these 
colors  will  show  sports  that  are  desirable,  and  these  will  want  to  be 
saved  and  tried  again,  so  that  in  a  field  of  asters  four  or  five  hundred 
stakes,  and  as  many  individual  little  packages  of  seed,  is  not  a  great 
stock  for  a  flower-seed  grower  here,  and  in  Germany,  where  the  greatest 
flower-seed  farms  arc  found,  these  individual  selections  probably  run 
into  several  thousands. 

Asters  is  simply  one  species ;  all  flowers  require  the  same  amount  of 
detail  and  consequent  close  attention. 

There  has  .always  been  considerable  prejudice  against  California 
flower  seeds,  some  of  which  has  disappeared,  especially  on  certain  things 


GROWING  FLOWER  SEED  IN   THE  SANTA   CLARA  VALLEY.  95 

that  found  favor  in  spite  of  opposition.  Some,  probably  many,  still 
criticize  California-grown  pansy  seed,  and  many  California  people  pre- 
fer and  use  exclusively  imported  seed.  I  am  quite  sure,  however,  that 
it  is  particular  stocks  that  are  in  question,  and  that  the  criticism 
should  not  hold  good  against  pansy  seed  of  improved  types  properly 
grown.  .  My  own  experience  proves  them  to  be  just  as  good  as  imported 
stocks,  but  I  find  it  is  an  item  that  requires  more  than  usual  attention, 
and  more  care  than  many  of  us  can  afford  to  give  it,  for  it  is  in  all 
respects  an  unprofitable  crop  with  us. 

As  in  many  flowers,  the  finest  and  largest  produce  very  little  seed, 
especially  some  varieties,  while  the  smallest  and  least  attractive  vari- 
eties will  seed  fairly  well. 

If  one  had  a  bed  of  pansies  in  his  garden  and  gathered  most  of  the 
finest  blossoms  during  the  whole  of  spring,  and  then  in  summer  saved 
the  seed  that  had  matured,  I  doubt  if  the  product  of  his  seed  the  next 
season  would  be  good  for.  anything.  It  certainly  would  not  do  for  a 
seed-grower,  for  it  is  the  reverse  of  this  proceeding  that  the  seed-grower 
follows.  Such  plants  as  would  naturally  seed  well  are  very  apt  to  be 
the  ones  that  would  be  pulled  up,  and  the  finest  blossoms  instead  of 
being  gathered  for  pleasure,  would  be  allowed  to  seed  if  they  would, 
and  a  certain  proportion  of  them  would  produce  a  little  seed. 

It  is  the  constant  and  careful  selection  of  the  finest,  performed  by 
an  intelligent  system,  that  will  make  good  flower  strains,  wherever 
flowers  can  be  grown,  and  there  is  no  doubt  about  the  merit  of  California 
flower  seeds  when  they  are  so  produced. 

In  the  first  place,  our  climate  in  California  is  rather  superior  to  that 
of  any  other  seed-growing  section,  especially  so  in  Santa  Clara  Valley. 
Cool  nights  and  warm  days,  tempered  in  the  afternoon  by  constant  sea 
breezes,  are  ideal  conditions  for  summer  blossoms.  Then  the  long,  dry 
summers  are  just  the  thing  for  harvest,  and  the  seed  develops  and 
matures  to  almost  a  perfect  degree  so  far  as  natural  conditions  are  con- 
cerned. 

We  have  a  variety  of  soils,  too,  that  affords  us  abundant  choice  to 
meet  the  needs  of  all  sorts  of  plants,  and  so  far  as  nature  can  help  us, 
we  are  endowed  in  the  Santa  Clara  Valley  with  all  the  gifts  that  would 
make  us  the  seed-producing  country  for  the  world's  supply  of  flower 
seed. 

We  are  not  apt  to  become  such,  however,  since  competition  with  the 
foreign  growers  is  too  keen,  and  there  is  absolutely  no  profit  for  us  in 
growing  the  majority  of  the  long  list  of  flowers  offered  by  the  foreign 
seed-growers. 

We  are  greatly  handicapped,  too,  in  our  competition  by  the  great 
want  of  sufficient  intelligent  but  cheap  labor,  as  well  as  by  want  of  a 
tariff,  as  flower  seeds  are  admitted  free  of  duty. 


()g  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

The  great  German  seed  farms  employ  women  largely,  sometimes 
altogether,  and  the  wages  amount  to  about  forty-five  to  fifty  cents  a  day. 
They  are  excellent  labor  for  flower-seed  work;  are  careful  and  patient, 
as  well  as  strong,  and  from  lifelong  experience  become  valuable  to  a 
great  degree,  so  much  so  that  a  grower's  supremacy  is  maintained  largely 
by  his  hold  on  this  cheap  but  intelligent  labor.  The  foreigner's  prices 
are  based  on  this  labor,  and  consequently  many  things  are  now  too 
cheap  to  offer  any  temptation  to  us  to  grow  them. 

We  grow  some  nasturtiums  (most  of  them,  however,  near  Aptos,  on 
account  of  the  cool,  foggy  weather  in  summer),  but  our  efforts  are  con- 
fined to  the  higher-priced  and  rarer  varieties,  and  these,  too,  in  limited 
quantities,  for  no  other  reason  than  a  question  of  labor.  Nasturtium 
seed  all  falls  to  the  ground,  and  must  be  swept  up  after  the  plants 
have  done  seeding  and  can  be  pulled  up. 

Last  summer  some  Japanese  contracted  to  gather  the  seed  at  harvest- 
time  (after  the  season's  cultivating  and  hoeing  had  been  done)  at  ten 
cents  per  pound,  but  after  working  a  few  days  thought  they  weren't 
making  anything,  so  it  was  necessary  to  employ  men  by  the  day  to  finish 
the  work,  and  it  cost  us  more  than  ten  cents  a  pound  to  gather  the  seed. 

Now  a  certain  Holland  seed  firm  offers  a  very  good  mixture  of  tall 
or  climbing  mixed  nasturtium  at  nine  cents  a  pound,  and  I  presume  they 
get  most  of  the  orders.  It  is  quite  evident  that  it  doesn't  cost  them 
ten  cents  a  pound  to  gather  their  seed  off  the  ground,  to  say  nothing 
about  cleaning  it  and  sacking,  shipping,  and  taking  the  chances  of  an 
occasional  loss. 

Our  flower-seed  growing  department  began  with  hollyhocks,  ver- 
benas, and  sweet  peas,  and  we  have  continued  to  grow  them  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent  ever  since  that  beginning. 

Hollyhocks  find  but  a  limited  market,  since  they  are  not  easily  grown, 
owing  to  the  destructive  rust,  which  has  proved  so  disastrous  in  England. 
This  rust  is  almost  universal  now,  and  is  with  us,  though  it  can  be  com- 
bated more  or  less,  and  our  acreage  of  hollyhocks  amounts  to  some  three 
acres,  including  all  colors  of  double  strains  and  the  semi-double  fringed 
type  of  Allegheny?.  While  verbena  seed  with  us  is  a  fine,  well-seasoned 
sample,  the  amount  of  hand-picking,  as  well  as  the  nature  of  it,  renders 
it  one  of  the  unprofitable  things. 

Of  all  the  flowers  we  have  grown,  none  have  shown  our  California 
seed  to  have  such  great  preference  over  all  others  as  sweet  peas,  and  the 
growth  of  this  line  with  us  has  been  quite  remarkable.  Some  fifty 
pounds  was  the  extent  of  our  crop  fifteen  years  ago.  About  one  hundred 
and  ten  tons  was  our  total  sales  in  1900,  and  it  has  taken  from  two 
hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  acres  of  land  every  year  for  several 
years  past  to  grow  them. 


GROWING  FLOWER  SEED  IX   THE  SAXTA  CLARA  VALLEY.  97 

The  sweet  pea  has  proved  to  be  the  people's  flower.  It  is  easily 
grown  by  everybody,  and  the  seed  is  cheap.  Our  California  sweet  pea 
seed  is  vastly  superior  to  any  other  grown  elsewhere.  It  has  more 
vitality  and  germinates  more  readily,  due  to  the  natural  conditions  here, 
which  allow  the  seed  to  mature  well. 

When  we  began  growing  sweet  peas  there  were  some  ten  or  twelve 
named  varieties,  and  it  has  been  our  privilege  to  plant  every  season  for 
many  years  the  new  introductions  from  all  sources  as  fast  as  they  came 
before  the  public,  until  now  there  are  some  one  hundred  and  sixty  listed 
varieties.  It  has  also  been  our  privilege  to  be,  ourselves,  the  originators 
of  twenty-five  tall  or  climbing  varieties  which  have  been  introduced  by 
prominent  seed  dealers,  and  it  is  gratifying  to  find  that  a  large  number 
of  these  novelties  are  popular  and  appear  in  all  critical  preferred  lists. 

In  addition  to  these  tall  or  climbing  novelties  we  have  been  the 
originators  of  the  race  of  Cupids  or  dwarf  sweet  peas.  In  1894  we  dis- 
covered the  first  white  dwarf,  and  named  it  Cupid.  The  next  year 
another  was  discovered  in  pink  and  white,  and  called  Pink  Cupid,  and 
henceforth  the  whole  race  of  dwarfs  took  Cupid  as  a  surname. 

With  the  first  dwarf  we  began  to  cross  fertilize  it  with  tall  or  climb- 
ing varieties,  and  when  the  second  Cupid  arrived  we  began  diligently 
to  cross  these  two  on  one  another  as  well  as  on  tall  ones,  and  to  our 
great  delight  we  were  rewarded  by  direct  results  so  complete  and  prompt 
that  in  1898  we  had  no  less  than  fifty  distinct  shades  and  types  of 
Cupids,  and  in  1900,  or  last  season,  we  had  in  our  trial  grounds  no  less 
than  one  hundred  different  shades  and  colors  of  various  markings, 
shapes,  and  sizes,  fully  as  distinct  as  in  the  tall  sorts.  Only  thirteen 
have  been  offered  to  the  public,  and  it  will  probably  get  the  best  ones 
in  but  limited  numbers  for  some  time,  since  anything  is  likely  to  be 
but  little  appreciated  when  it  is  too  common. 

The  type  called  bush  sweet  pea  also  originated  with  us,  beginning 
with  one  of  the  Gray  Friar  variety.  It  was  not  put  before  the  public 
until  1897,  and  has  not  been  tried  sufficiently  as  yet  to  have  established 
its  value.  By  cross  fertilization  and  selection  our  results  have  been 
almost  as  marked  as  in  the  case  of  Cupids  for  the  same  length  of  time, 
and  in  1900,  or  last  season,  we  had  in  our  trial  grounds  no  less  than 
fifty  distinct  shades  and  colors. 

The  sweet  pea  being  our  chief  specialty,  it  has  naturally  been  favored 
with  more  attention  than  any  other  flower  we  grow,  and  the  system  of 
careful  selection  already  explained  has  been  carried  on  to  a  considerable 
degree  of  completeness,  and  in  the  development  of  new  varieties  a  great 
deal  of  cross-fertilization  work  has  been  done.  This  crossing  breaks 
up  the  strain,  and  causes  it  to  sport  freely,  and  these  sports  have  been 
the  originals  of  our  best  novelties.  It  requires  an  immense  amount  of 


98  PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

detail  to  develop  novelties  to  the  extent  that  has  been  practised  in  the 
sweet  pea,  and  frequent  disappointments  are  the  rule. 

With  the  exception  of  possibly  sweet  peas  and  nasturtiums,  the  mar- 
ket for  flower  seeds  is  a  very  limited  one,  and  yields  are  small,  and 
orders  are  usually  for  small  quantities.  A  few  pounds  of  verbena  seed. 
for  instance,  a  very  few  pounds  of  alyssum  and  candytuft  and  balsam, 
is  the  limit  of  business  with  even  the  largest  dealers.  Many  of  the 
rarer  and  higher-priced  flowers  are  quoted  by  the  hundred  and  thousand 
individual  seeds,  and  many  by  the  ounce  only. 

One  grower  of  flower  seeds  near  Philadelphia  told  me  he  could  carry 
the  product  of  an  acre  of  large  double  petunia  in  his  vest  pocket,  and 
it  represented  a  fair  crop  and  not  a  poor  one. 

I  presume  asters  represent  a  greater  market  than  most  of  the  smaller 
flower  annuals,  and  the  world's  demand  for  them  would  probably  be 
represented  by  many  thousand  pounds,  but  the  market  is  much  greater 
in  Europe  than  here  in  America.  I  doubt  if  America's  annual  con- 
sumption is 'more  than  five  thousand  pounds,  though  my  figure  is  purelv 
an  estimate. 

Asters  are  grown  here  to  quite  an  extent  in  spite  of  a  persistent 
prejudice  in  favor  of  the  German  grown,  and  seed  usually  is  a  better- 
sample,  can  be  harvested  before  the  fall  rains  set  in,  and  our  deliveries 
are  consequently  much  earlier  than  those  from  the  foreign  growers. 

A  number  of  very  popular  flowers  have  failed  to  seed  with  us 
apparently  from  climatic  causes.  Two  years  in  succession  we  planted 
an  acre  of  Japanese  single  mixed  morning-glories,  and  were  unable  either 
time  to  get  more  than  a  few  ounces  of  seed  from  the  whole  acre.  Coboeu 
Scandens  tried  only  once ;  did  not  seed ;  but  they  seem  to  do  well  farther 
south,  in  Santa  Barbara  and  Ventura  Counties.  Moon-flowers  and  other 
Ipomeas  and  Salvia  never  gave  us  any  results,  though  tried  several 
times. 

I  am  not  sure  that  further  experiments  would  not  reveal  some  fault 
in  growing  that  could  be  overcome,  but  so  long  as  there  are  other  sec- 
tions in  this  state  where  these  things  are  already  being  grown  success- 
fully, we  prefer  to  direct  our  efforts  to  the  further  development  of 
such  things  as  have  already  proven  themselves  adapted  to  our  particular 
section.  There  is  a  vast  field  of  experiment  still  unexplored,  so  far  as 
I  know,  and  many  flowers  still  untried  can  probably  be  grown  success- 
fully in  the  Santa  Clara  Valley. 

Just  what  the  future  of  flower-seed  growing  here  will  be,  can  only 
be  conjectured.  If  foreign  competition  can  be  met  in  some  way.  and 
further  knowledge  of  methods  and  developments  learned,  there  will 
undoubtedly  be  an  increase  in  the  acreage  already  devoted  to  flowor-*eed 
growing  in  the  Santa  Clara  Valley. 

Santa  Clara,  Cal. 


WHAT   THE   BIG   TREES    MAY   DO    FOR   CALIFORNIA.  99 

WHAT    THE    BIG    TREES    MAY    DO    FOR    CALIFORNIA. 

BY    WILLIAM    R.    DUDLEY. 

The  California  State  Board  of  Trade  estimates  the  lumber  product 
of  California  for  1900  at  the  enormous  total  of  over  650,000,000  feet. 
Personally,  I  know  of  a  single  mill  in  the  Sierras  which  cut  nearly 
,50,000,000  feet  during  that  year,  the  major  part  of  which  was  Sequoia 
gigantea,  the  big  tree,  the  largest  forest  tree  in  the  world,  very 
limited  in  its  geographical  area,  and  in  many  respects  the  most  won- 
derful and  most  famous  object  in  California.  More  than  half  of  the 
remaining  600,000,000  feet  was  from  Sequoia  sempervirens,  the  red- 
wood, another  big  tree,  which  rivals  its  sister  species  in  the  Sierras 
in  size  and  fame,  and  exceeds  it  in  height.  Most  of  the  balance  was 
unequally  divided  between  three  pines  peculiar  to  the  Pacific  slope, — 
the  yellow  pine,  the  black  pine,  and  the  sugar  pine, — and  in  one  of 
these,  the  sugar  pine,  we  have  the  largest,  the  most  attractive,  and 
one  of  the  most  valuable  of  all  the  true  pines  of  the  world. 

Ask  any  traveler  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard  or  from  Europe,  "For 
what  is  California  most  famous?"  and  probably  the  answer  would  be, 
"Gold,  the  Yosemite  Valley,  the  big  trees  of  its  coniferous  forests,  and 
its  useful  fruits."  In  its  annual  yield  of  gold,  California  is  already 
surpassed  by  another  state  of  the  Union;  in  its  fruit  products  it  will 
always  be  rivaled  by  other  parts  of  the  world;  but  it  shares  its  big 
trees  with  no  other  state  or  clime.* 

If  a  state  or  a  nation  possesses,  as  its  crowning  glory,  some  peculiar 
manifestation  of  nature,  or  some  noble  work  of  art,  its  rank  among 
civilized  communities  is  best  measured  by  the  ntanner  in  which  it 
treats  such  a  priceless  possession.  Among  philosophic  historians  and 
men  of  science,  there  is  no  such  convincing  proof  of  the  inherent  weak- 
ness of  Spain  as  a  nation,  as  her  destruction,  centuries  since,  of  the 
forests  which  in  Moorish  times  clothed  her  Sierra  Nevada  and  Sierra 
Morena,  the  mother  of  the  rivers,  now  shrunken,  but  formerly  bring- 
ing fertility  and  plenty  to  the  plains  below.  What  shall  be  the  answer 
of  the  future  historians  of  California  to  a  similar  question  as  to  her 
forests?  Possibly  we  are  in  danger  of  evoking  a  similar  answer. 

The  climatic  conditions  of  Spain  and  California  are  strikingly 
alike.  In  the  northwest  of  Spain  there  is  a  region  of  abundant  even 
excessive  rainfall,  not  restricted  to  a  rainy  season;  the  amount,  from 
forty  to  sixty-five  inches,  is  similar  to  that  recorded  in  Humboldt  and 
Del  Norte  Counties,  California.  In  the  middle  and  south,  a  region 

*The  redwood  and  the  sugar  pine  extend  into  Oregon,  but  only  in  outlying,  in- 
ferior bodies. 


JOG  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

of  snowy  mountains  alternating  with  plains,  there  is  a  limited  annual 
rainfall  and  a  long,  dry  season.  In  Madrid  the  rainfall  is  fifteen 
inches;  in  the  more  southern  Murcia,  fourteen  inches,  which  is  about 
equal  to  that  in  the  middle  portion  of  our  Santa  Clara  Valley,  hi. 
middle  and  southern  California  the  forests  are  largely  confined  to  the 
elevated  portions  of  the  mountains,  as  the  former  forests  of  Spain  were, 
while  the  valleys  below  are  broad  plains,  capable  of  high  cultivation, 
if  supplied  with  water  for  irrigation,  but  half  way  desert  unless  so 
supplied. 

Spain  has  a  toal  area  of  123,000,000  acres,  of  which  only  7,500,000, 

one-sixteenth  of  its  total  area, — mostly  in  the  north,  can  now  be 

reckoned  as  forest.  In  California,  with  a  total  area  of  100,000,000 
acres,  32,000,000,  north  of  the  Tehachapi  Mountains,  have  been  esti- 
mated as  original  forest.  As  some  of  the  mountain  land  in  southern 
California  is  well  forested,  we  may  assume  that  one-third  of  the  state 
was  originally  covered  with  virgin  forests. 

But  if  these  are  being  decimated  at  the  rate  of  050,000,000  feet  of 
lumber  annually,  and  no  attempt  made  to  restore  the  growth  over  any 
of  this  tract,  how  soon  will  the  boasted  one-third  forest  area  approach 
the  one-sixteenth  area  of  modern  Spain  ?  How  soon,  indeed,  in  that 
event,  would  the  rivers  from  our  Sierra  Xevada  and  Sierra  Morena  go 
dry,  and  the  future  historian  of  California  say,  as  he  has  said  of 
Spain,  "With  the  destruction  of  her  woods  and  the  failure  to  reforest, 
began  the  decadence  of  California" !  He  would  certainly  add  that  the 
reproach  to  California  was  far  greater  than  to  Spain,  inasmuch  as 
the  latter  sinned  in  ignorance  of  the  laws  of  forest  beneficence,  and 
destroyed  but  two  or  three  species  of  common-place  coniferous  treesr 
while  California  ignored  the  testimony  of  a  century  as  to  the  impor- 
tance of  forest-clad  mountains  in  a  semi-arid  climate,  and,  moreover, 
stupidly  destroyed  forests  of  three  of  the  most  splendid  conifers  the 
world  has  ever  seen,  besides  a  dozen  species  that  in  any  other  country 
would  be  above  the  common-place. 

I  do  not  believe  this  reflection  will  ever  be  made,  however.  Private 
interest  has  been  destructively  active,  chiefly  in  the  north.  Our  alma 
mater,  the  United  States  of  America,  has  kindly  and  judiciously  re- 
served above  9,000,000  acres  of  forest. 'land  in  the  middle  and  south 
as  a  heritage,  against  the  day  when  her  beloved  daughter,  California, 
shall  really  come  of  age;  in  this  she  has  included  several  of  the  best 
groves  of  Sequoia  gigantea,  California  herself  has  shown  foresight 
befitting  the  native  alertness  and  cleverness  of  her  people,  by  a  generous 
appropriation  to  establish  the  beginnings  of  a  park  among  the  red- 
woods of  the  Santa  Cruz  Mountains,  that  shall  preserve  at  least  a 
portion  of  that  noble  species  in  all  its  pristine  glory,  and  bring  honor 
to  the  state. 


WHAT   THE    BIG   TREES    MAY   DO    FOR    CALIFORNIA.  101 

But  after  all  this  has  been  said,  we  can  not  point  to  any  well-settled 
policy,  even  in  our  national  councils,  in  regard  to  our  forests;  much 
less  can  we  indicate  any  in  the  legislation  of  the  state.  It  is  not 
enough  to  reserve  our  forests.  If  we  stop  there,  this  policy  becomes 
one  of  stagnation,  even  of  danger,  in  many  portions  of  our  country. 
The  United  States,  and  not  the  states,  should  lead  in  this  matter;  and 
if  the  nation  is  to  lay  claim  to  a  truly  enlightened  policy  in  regard  to 
all  of  its  natural  resources,  as  it  can  in  regard  to  some  of  them,  it  must 
make  an  examination  of  all  its  vast  forest  domain,  and  devise  means  of 
utilizingt  properly  the  forest  resources  of  every  section. 

Agriculture,  mining,  forestry,  and  the  fisheries  cover  about  all  the 
fields  of  activity  relating  to  the  exploitation  of  our  natural  resources. 
The  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  with  its  cabinet  port- 
folio, its  economic  and  scientific  bureaus,  its  small  army  of  trained 
employees,  fosters  one  field  of  these  activities;  the  United  States  Geo- 
logical Survey,  liberally  supported  by  the  government  for  years,  has 
laid  a  thorough  scientific  foundation  for  all  our  modern  mining  opera- 
tions; the  fisheries  have  long  been  under  the  care  of  a  Government  Fish 
Commission;  but  the  great  forests,  with  a  potential  wealth  far  greater 
than  that  involved  in  the  fisheries  interests,  have  strangely  been  allowed 
to  lie  unused,  or  drift,  in  private  hands,  toward  absolute  ruin. 

Forestry  does  not  mean  preservation  or  care  alone;  it  is  not  even 
restricted  to  judicious  lumbering;  it  means  utilization  of  forests  with- 
out injuring  them.  In  some  regions  forestry  may  mean  lumbering, 
but  burning  the  soil  and  floor  of  the  lumbered  tract  must  be  avoided, 
and  the  denuded  spaces  be  replanted.  In  other  sections  it  may  mean 
preservation  of  the  trees  as  fully  as  possible  to  protect  all  the  available 
water  supply.  In  still  other  places  naval  stores,  such  as  turpentine, 
tar,  resin,  etc.,  may  be  the  most  profitable  product.  In  all  cases,  under 
scientific  and  rational  treatment,  the  forest  is  made  a  source  of  that 
wealth  for  which  its  particular  situation  adapts  it.  but  as  a  forest  it 
never  dies. 

The  private  lumberman  in  America  habitually  destroys  the  original 
growth,  and  wastes  or  burns  the  forest  soil  and  mold.  Nothing  but 
desolation  follows  his  footsteps.  His  harvest  may  have  been  growing 
for  a  thousand  years,  but  as  it  has  cost  him  nothing,  he  cares  for 
nothing  except  the  profit  of  the  one  crop.  He  may  be  a  law-abiding 
citizen,  an  excellent  father,  and  a  professed  Christian,  but  his  conduct 
toward  the  forest  is  often  worse  than  ruthless;  it  is  that  which  belongs 
to  the  criminal  classes,  to  the  ravisher  and  the  destroyer.  This  very 
paradox  shows  that  the  individual  is  scarcely  blameworthy,  that  the 
statutes,  on  the  contrary,  are  at  fault.  With  ruinous  competition  and 
no  legal  restriction  on  his  treatment  of  the  forest,  with  Imsiness 


102  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

extinction  threatening  him,  his  disregard  of  everything  but  temporary 
success  is  but  natural  to  human  activity. 

We  are  disposed,  therefore,  to  ascribe  the  present  unorganized  con- 
dition of  our  great  forest  interests  in  the  west,  to  the  neglect  of  our 
legislative  bodies,  and  particularly  of  Congress.  It  has  been  demon- 
strated by  every  progressive  nation  of  Europe,— by  France,  by  Ger- 
many, by  Switzerland,  by  British  India— that  it  is  commercially 
profitable  for  nations,  and  for  communities,  as  well  as  for  individuals, 
to  administer  this  great  natural  resource  on  scientific  principles.  It 
would,  therefore,  be  no  hazardous  experiment  for  us  to  try  it.^ 

During  the  past  five  years  a  great  public  sentiment  has  sprung  up 
in  favor  of  a  rational  treatment  of  the  interests  of  our  forests.  This  has 
been  led  and  supported  by  a  devoted  company  of  educated  foresters  in  the 
Bureau  of  Forestry  at  Washington,  to  whom  and  to  other  men  of 
science  we  owe  the  influence  that  has  led  to  the  reservation  from  sale 
or  entry  of  47.000,000  acres  of  national  forest  land.  But  up  to  the 
present  time,  Congress  has  ignored  the  example  of  other  nations,  has 
neglected  public  sentiment  and  the  advice  of  experts,  and  therefore 
derives  no  income  from  its  woods,  and  has  taken  no  steps  to  insure  the 
continuance  of  the  forest  over  denuded  areas,  naturally  fit  only  for  the 
growth  of  timber. 

There  stands  ready  at  Washington  a  body  of  educated  men,  under 
a  chief  forester  who  is  one  of  the  most  devoted,  intelligent,  and  tactful 
of  American  men  of  science,  which  is  ready  to  examine  every  wooded 
area  on  the  national  domain,  and  furnish  the  government  working 
plans  as  to  the  management  of  the  same.  On  the  other  hand,  here  are 
the  forests  waiting  to  yield  a  handsome  revenue  to  the  State,  and  a 
great  people  ardently  desiring  that  the  one  shall  be  placed  under  the 
management  of  the  other.  It  is  little  short  of  ridiculous  that  a  body 
of  statesmen  should  not  take  time  to  pass  a  law  which  shall  be  the 
means  of  bringing  order  and  profit  to  a  nation's  domain,  where  nov 
exist  only  neglect,  expense,  and  the  danger  of  destruction. 

Let  us  look  for  a  few  moments  at  our  own  state,  ascertain  thf-  dis- 
tribution of  our  own  timber  areas,  the  composition  of  them,  and  the 
several  ways  in  which  forestry,  through  its  experts,  might  best  adapt 
them  to  the  best  interests  of  our  people.  The  woods  of  this  state 
are  practically  all  coniferous,  and  there  are  few  forest-makers,  indeed, 
which  are  not  pines,  firs,  spruces,  and  cypresses,  or  related  to  them. 
There  are  two  marked  areas,— the  one  where  the  forests  normally 
inhabit  the  valleys  or  broadened  plains  of  rivers  flowing  toward  our 
west  and  northwest  coast;  the  other  where  the  forests  are  normally  on 
the  high  mountains  or  on  the  elevated  plateaus  between  mountains. 
The  first  is  the  redwood  belt  extending  from  the  Oregon  border  to  Mon- 


WHAT   THE   BIG   TREES    MAY   DO    FOR   CALIFORNIA.  103 

terey  County.  It  is  the  region  of  heavy  annual  rainfall,  of  continuous 
summer  fogs;  and  the  great  redwood,  the  dominant  species,  is  accom- 
panied by  maritime  or  semi-maritime  pines,  firs,  spruces,  and  cypresses. 
Within  the  characteristic  part  of  this  belt, — that  north  of  the  Golden 
Gate, — the  question  of  summer  aridity  does  not  enter;  the  rainfall  is 
abundant,  often  excessive,  and  irrigation  rarely  considered. 

The  redwood  land  when  cleared  (and  all  of  it  is  likely  to  be  cleared) 
is  fertile.  Therefore,  the  question  of  how  much  shall  be  renewed  in 
forest  is  not  one  of  protection  of  the  water  supply  of  the  region,  but 
of  the  relative  profitableness  of  agriculture  and  lumbering.  The  sec- 
ond forest  area,  that  of  the  semi-arid  and  arid  summer,  may  be  divided 
into  three  sections,  with  relation  to  the  great  industries  of  agriculture 
and  mining  on  one  hand,  which  need  an  abundant  water  supply,  and 
lumbering  on  the  other.  The  first  section  is  that  of  the  Modoc  lava 
district  of  northeastern  California,  with  Mt.  Shasta  on  the  west,  Las- 
sen's  Butte  on  the  south,  and  the  McCloud  and  Pitt  Eiver  valleys 
between.  The  lava  is  comparatively  recent,  covers  nearly  all  the  coun- 
try, and  is  very  porous.  The  rains  and  melting  snows  largely  pass  into 
subterranean  channels  which  issue  far  down  the  great  lava  slopes  in 
great  springs  or  rivers  that  would  readily  float,  in  the  case  of  Fall  River, 
an  ordinary  coast  trading  vessel. 

Considerable  of  this  lava  district  is  covered  with  a  soil  that  will 
support  a  fair  forest  growth,  but  it  will  be  readily  understood  that  this 
growth  is  of  little  consequence  in  protecting  the  head-waters  of  the 
McCloud  and  Pitt  Rivers,  the  most  important  feeders  of  the  Sacra- 
mento, if  these  head-waters  are  largely  subterranean.  This  region  is, 
indeed,  when  trees  can  be  grown  at  all,  naturally  a  lumbering  district. 
Its  elevation  brings  it  within  the  region  of  heavy  summer  frosts,;  its 
seasons  are  shortened,  and  its  soils  not  rich.  Let  the  lumber,  chiefly 
yellow  and  sugar  pine,  spruce,  fir,  and  cedar,  be  harvested,  and  the 
denuded  areas  be  replanted,  and  this  region  would  become  the  per- 
manent lumber  district  of  California. 

The  second  subdivision  begins  with  the  southern  end  of  the  Sierras, 
at  an  elevation  of  5,000  feet,  and  continues  northward  to  Lassen's 
Butte,  sweeps  around  to  the  upper  Sacramento  River,  gradually  descend- 
ing to  2.500  or  2,000  feet,  and  includes  the  ranges  west  and  north- 
west of  the  Sacramento  and  east  of  the  redwood  belt.  It  is  the  great 
timber  belt  of  the  California  mountains.  It  has  a  broad  tract  of 
chaparral  between  it  and  the  fertile  plains  of  the  San  Joaquin  and 
Sacramento,  and  fades  insensibly  on  the  east  into  the  bare  crags  of  the 
Sierra  Alps.  This  great  timber  belt  is  the  mother  of  all  the  rivers  of 
central  California,  and  its  welfare  concerns  the  new  California,  the 
state  that  is  yet  to  be,  through  the  scientific  conservation  and  use  of  the 


104  PACIFIC    STATES    FLOUAL    CO.VGHESS. 

natural  waters  adjacent  to  its  most  extensive  plains  and  its  richest 
mining  districts.  The  dominant  species  here  are  the  yellow,  black,  and 
sugar  pines,  two  firs,  the  cedar,  the  Douglas  spruce  in  the  northern 
part,  and  the  giant  Sequoia  in  the  southern.  In  its  upper  zones  are 
the  tamarack,  or  lodge-pole  pine,  the  foxtail  and  the  mountain  white 
pines,  and  occasionally  the  hemlock.  These  forests  are  measurably 
heavy,  and  of  incomparable  beauty  in  their  open,  park-like  character. 
All  the  species  named  are  noble  in  their  proportions,  but  here  the  great 
sugar  pines  are  at  their  best,  and  here  is  the  Sequoia  gigantea.  the 
species  that  exceeds  all  other  forest  trees  in  size,  in  an  appearance  of 
antiquity,  and  in  individuality — a  species  curiously  occupying,  also, 
in  all  that  important  belt  opposite  the  San  Joaquin  Valley,  a  vital 
position  in  its  relation  to  the  water  supply,  for  it  grows  along  the 
smaller  streams  in  the  belt  where  the  forest  floor  is  most  needed. 

If  you  wish  to  preserve  your  San  Joaquin  rivers  in  their  best 
condition,  condemn  and  buy  back  every  grove  of  Sequoia  that  has 
passed  from  government  possession.  The  relation  of  this  great  timber 
belt  to  the  economy  of  the  future  California  is  such  that  one  would 
say  its  preservation  from  destruction  was  of  the  first  importance.  Tim- 
ber should  only  be  cut  when  it  will  not  injure  this  forest,  in  its  orig- 
inal capacity,  as  a  nourisher  of  the  rivers;  still  there  are  few  portions 
where  removal  of  the  ripe  timber  en  bloc  could  not  be  safely  accom- 
plished by  skilled  foresters.  Several  species  of  this  belt  are  rich  in 
resinous  secretions,  notably  tamarack  pine,  and  should  yield,  under 
proper  management,  an  abundance  of  naval  stores,  establishing  thereby 
a  new  industry  in  this  state. 

The  third  subdivision,  from  the  standpoint  of  forest  economy,  is 
that  of  southern  California,  including  all  the  mountains  surrounding 
the  orange  district  northward  from  the  San  Jacinto,  or  perhaps  the 
Cuyamaca  Mountains.  It  is  the  opinion  of  experts  from  the  Bureau 
of  Forestry  that  no  timber  should  be  cut  for  lumber  purposes  from  any 
of  these  southern  California  mountains.  The  timber  covering  is  every- 
where all  too  sparing,  the  annual  rainfall  light,  and  the  highly- 
cultivated  fruit  districts  exacting  in  the  use  of  water  for  irrigation. 
Great  care  should  be  exercised-  to  prevent  sheep  pasturage  and  the 
spread  of  fires  in  the  long,  dry  summers.  It  is  but  another  illustra- 
tion of  the  disastrous  effects  of  the  lack  of  true  forest  administration 
of  the  government  land  in  this  district  and  of  private  land  adjoining, 
to  say  that  during  the  past  season  sheep  pasturage  was  permitted  over 
large  tracts,  the  most  wasteful  lumbering  was  carried  on  in  the  San 
Bernardino  mountain  canyons,  and  one  of  the  very  severest  of  forest 
fires  swept  over  portions  of  the  Sierra  Madre.  AU  this  happened  in 
face  of  the  fact  that  the  people  of  southern  California  have  more  public 


WHAT   THE   BIG   TREES    MAY   DO    FOR    CALIFORNIA.  105 

spirit  and  a  more  intelligent  understanding  of  the  value  of  careful 
forest  administration  than  any  other  section  of  the  west. 

We  have  endeavored  to  look  at  this  question  broadly.  We  have 
found  in  one  section  of  this  state  the  climatic  conditions  are  such  that, 
as  in  northern  Europe  or  Canada,  either  agriculture  or  lumbering  may 
be  carried  on  profitably;  in  another,  only  the  lumber  industry  need  be 
considered;  in  another  (of  the  greatest  importance  to  us),  the  great 
interests  of  agriculture,  mining,  motive  power,  and  municipal  water 
supply  demand  that,  while  the  forest  may  be  used  for  naval  stores  and 
limited  lumbering,  it  should  primarily  and  forever  be  dedicated  to 
stream-protection.  We  find  that  in  the  south  the  forests  should  never 
be  lumbered  or  pastured,  but  carefully  protected,  nurtured,  and  ex- 
tended; indeed,  the  southern  California!!  might  conform  to  a  more 
useless  cult  than  tree-planting,  and  to  a  worse  religion  than  tree- 
worship.  Finally,  we  discover  that  our  state  and  national  interests 
are  suffering,  not  because  of  the  lack  of  intelligent  and  educated  admin- 
istrators, but  because  legislative  apathy  neglects  to  place  its  forest, 
domain  in  the  hands  of  these  administrators. 

It  is  not  less  your  duty  than  mine  to  labor  to  bring  about  a  satis- 
factory solution  to  this  question,  One  of  the  most  far-reaching  and 
important  of  those  which  concern  the  west.  We  are  all  laymen,  work- 
ing, I  hope,  with  the  instincts  of  true  citizenship.  It  may  be  years 
before  the  true  adjustment  of  the  most  varied,  the  most  beautiful,  and 
the  most  imposing  coniferous  forests  in  the  world,  to  the  material  and 
spiritual  interests  of  our  people,  can  be  brought  about.  I  think  none 
of  us  have  failed  to  make  the  most  indifferent  person,  be  he  citizen  or 
traveler,  a  friend  of  our  woods,  by  taking  him  among  their  solemn 
shades,  where  he  can  feel  the  grandeur  of  size,  the  majesty  of  height, 
the  far  lapse  of  time,  as  he  counts  century  upon  century  of  rings  in 
the  trunk  of  some  fallen  tree.  We  have  learned  of  recent  years  that 
our  woods  have  great  and  before  unsuspected  potential  relations  to 
our  prosperity.  They  will  keep  our  springs  sparkling,  our  hills  from 
the  cloudburst,  our  rivers  full  in  summer-time,  and  bring  plenty  to 
our  treasuries.  We  have  long  valued  them  for  their  lumber  products, 
and  for  their  utility  in  our  mining  operations,  but  they  constitute  one 
source  of  advantage  which  Californians  have  been  slow  in  suspecting. 
I  refer  to  their  attractiveness  to  the  sightseer  and  the  traveler. 

I  am  not  particularly  anxious  that  we  preserve  our  great  trees,  that 
some  individual  or  some  company  may  gather  a  harvest  of  coin  by 
entertaining  the  stranger  or  piloting  him  to  the  patriarchs 'of  the  for- 
est, although  that  may  have  its  material  advantage  to  the  community. 
But  I  propose,  in  the  interests  of  a  higher  and  broader  policy,  that 
which  would  seek  the  preservation  and  proper  use  of  our  whole  forest, 


10£  PACIFIC  STATES  FLOKAL  CONGRESS. 

that  we  work  unceasingly  for  the  repurchase  of  every  grove  of  the 
big  trees  of  the  Sierras  that  has  gone  astray  into  private  hands;  that 
we  raise  money  for  the  broadest  possible  extension  of  our  Santa  Cruz 
Mountains  park;  that  we  urge  the  people  of  Humboldt  County  to  pre- 
serve some  great  tract  of  the  magnificent  redwoods  along  the  Eel  Kiver, 

the  tallest  trees  in  the  world,  probably ;  that  we  search  out  the  finest 

body  and  the  most  splendid  specimens  of  our  sugar  pines,  and  give  the 
timber  owners  no  rest  until  these  noble  trees  are  again  the  posses- 
sion of  the  people.  Then  shall  their  fame  spread  over  the  earth,  and 
ascend  to  the  skies,  so  that  the  traveler  shall  come  from  every  state  and 
nation  to  see  the  trees,  as  he  now  comes  to  bask  in  the  February  sun- 
shine. 

He  will  say :  "I  have  seen  the  famous  chestnut  tree  in  the  woods  of 
Carpinetto,  on  the  slopes  of  Mt.  Etna,  measuring  190  feet  in  circum- 
ference; and  I  have  made  a  special  pilgrimage  to  the  great  Mexican 
cypress,  in  the  churchyard  of  Santa  Maria  del  Tule,  which  has  a  girth 
of  112  feet  four  feet  above  the  ground,  but  these  are  single  trees,  and 
both  are  deformed,  dwarfed,  and  shattered  with  time  and  the  infirmi- 
ties of  age.  Nowhere  else  than  on  the  Pacific  Coast  can  I  find  whole 
forests  of  trees,  many  of  which  were- born  long  before  the  Christian  era, 
rise  in  the  air  300,  340,  or  even  400  feet,  high  as  the  spires  of  the 
loftiest  medieval  cathedral,  measure  in  girth  between  90  and  100  feet, 
and  yet  stand  jubilant  as  youth  upon  the  mountainside,  or  stately 
and  'untouched  by  any  shade  of  years'  by  the  northern  rivers." 

Our  traveler  then  will  join  with  our  most  distinguished  living 
authority  on  North  American  forests  in  saying:  "The  redwood  is  sec- 
ond in  trunk  diameter  only  to  the  Sierra  Sequoia.  It  is  a  much  taller 
tree,  the  tallest  of  all  North  American  trees,  and  probably  taller  than 
any  of  the  Australian  eucalypti,  which  have  usually  been  considered 
the  tallest  trees  in  the  world."  After  traveling  in  the  Sierras,  he  may 
quote  from  the  same  authority,  and  say:  "The  sugar  pine,  the  noblest 
of  its  race,  surpassing  all  other  pine  trees  in  girth  and  length,  tosses 
its  mighty  branches,  bending  under  the  weight  of  its  long,  graceful, 
pointed  cones,  far  above  the  sylvan  roof;  and  with  its  companion,  the 
great  Sequoia,  glorifies  those  Sierra  forests  that  surpass  in  majesty  all 
forests  of  coniferous  trees." 

•Those  Sierra  forests  that  surpass  in  majesty  all  forests  of  conifer- 
Think  you,  you  who  know  the  woods,  that  any  member  of 
the  National  Legislature,  that  any  man,  in  visiting  these  forests  could 
say  less?  If  it  be  so,  then  these  giants  which  you  have  helped  to  pre- 
serve shall  have  stood  up  like  crowned  monarchs,  and  have  plead  the 
cause  of  their  lesser  trees  of  the  California  forests  to  such  a  purpose 
before  the  civilized  world  that  our  cause  will  be  won. 

Stanford  University. 


PHOTOGRAPHING    PLANT    LIFE.  107 

PHOTOGBAPHIXG    PLANT    LIFE. 

BY    O.    V.    LANGE. 

Children  of  the  sun's  first  glancing, 
Flowers  that  deck  the  bounteous  earth, 

Joy  and  mirth  are  round  ye  dancing; 
Nature  smiled  upon  your  birth; 

Light  hath  veined  your  petals  tender, 

And  with  hues  of  matchless  splendor 
Flora  paints  each  lovely  bell. 

— Schiller. 

Some  time  ago,  in  connection  with  other  work,  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  photographing  specimens  of  seaweeds  for  Professor  Setchel,  in  the 
Botanical  Department  of  the  University  of  California.  These  sub- 
jects for  the  camera  strongly  appealed  to  me  because  of  their  sim- 
plicity, as  well  as  gracefulness  of  outline.  It  occurred  to  me  to  try  to 
obtain  studies  in  land  flowers  having  extreme  simplicity  as  one  of  the 
dominant  motives.  In  the  course  of  my  investigations  it  soon  became 
apparent  that  beauty  of  outline  and  shape  in  flowers  were  not  the  only 
artistic  values  that  might  be  sought  after,  and  that  much  could  be 
added  by  the  proper  handling  of  the  source  of  illumination,  so  as  to 
give  the  best  possible  relief  in  cliiaro-oscuro,  thus  assisting  in  the 
rendition  of  texture,  which  constitutes  much  of  the  individuality  and 
peculiar  charm  of  flowers. 

After  much  study  and  close  observation,  together  with  some  suc- 
cess in  this  direction,  there  still  appeared  to  be  something  lacking. 
I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  feeling  of  atmosphere  that  should 
surround  my  subject  was  lacking.  Now,  it  is  very  easy  to  photograph 
a  flower  with  a  hard,  sharp  outline,  and  seemingly  pasted  upon  a  black 
cardboard;  while  to  surround  a  flower  with  the  feeling  of  having 
relief  and  atmosphere  can  be  accomplished  only  by  a  careful  selection 
of  the  background  as  to  tint  and  texture.  The  subsequent  lighting  of 
this  background  must  sometimes  be  done  independently  of  the  sub- 
ject in  hand,  so  as  to  environ  our  blossoms  with  that  peculiarly  satisfy- 
ing but  indescribable  charm  called  sentiment,  without  which  they  are 
simply  machine-made  photographs,  and  not  true  pictures. 

In  lighting  the  subject,  one  should  not  only  seek  a  proper  contrast 
of  high  lights  and  deep  darks,  but  should  attend  and  be  sensitive  to 
the  variety  of  middle  tints  which  are  the  ones  that  render  texture  best. 
By  texture  I  mean  the  surface  appearance.  If  a  flower  is  waxy,  it 
should  retain  the  appearance  of  wax  in  the  finished  photograph;  if 
velvety,  the  feeling  of  velvet  should  be  preserved;  and  if  silky,  the 
peculiar  sheen  of  silk  should  be  found  in  the  finished  print.  This  is 


108  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

where  the  true  skill  of  the  photographer  comes  in,  if  he  desires  to 
express  in  his  pictures,  and  transmit  to  others,  these  exquisite  distinc- 
tions that  his  artistic  temperament  makes  him  sensitive  to.  To  be  able 
to  get  these  results,  we  depend,  next  to  lighting,  upon  what  are  called 
chemical  effects,  and  good  chemical  effects  are  only  obtained  by  the 
proper  relationship  of  time  and  development. 

Probably  it  would  be  interesting  if  I  describe  a  few  flower  studies 
that  were  taken  recently,  for  then  the  ideas  I  wish  to  convey  can  be 
made  more  intelligible. 

The  night-blooming  cereus  I  found  a  somewhat  difficult  subject  to 
handle,  as  it  was  over  ten  inches  in  diameter,  and  had  to  be  reduced 
to  fit  the  plate.  The  color  was  a  pale  green,  so  that  an  isochromatic 
plate  was  not  needed.  Its  cup  was  fully  four  and  a  half  inches  deep, 
and  to  avoid  getting  the  interior  too  dark,  it  had  to  be  turned  slightly 
to  a  soft,  broad  light,  and  a  canary-colored  reflector  was  found  neces- 
sary to  modify  the  intensity  of  the  deeper  shadows.  The  background 
used  was  a  plain  cardboard  of  a  light  olive  tint.  By  a  careful  handling 
of  the  curtains  a  fine  gradation  from  a  delicate  gray  to  a  pure  black 
was  secured  in  the  background,  thus  giving  a  rich  quality,  setting  off 
in  bold  relief  this  truly  regal  flower. 

Of  an  entirely  different  type  and  character  are  the  many  little 
cherry  blossoms  in  another  picture;  therefore  a  distinct  change  in  the 
handling  was  necessary.  As  the  first  aim  in  all  flower  studies  should 
be  to  express  character,  texture,  and  sentiment  of  the  subject  in  hand, 
one  must  be  very  sensitive  to  any  suggestions  the  flower  itself  may  seem 
to  impart  in  regard  to  treatment.  For  example,  illumination  on  these 
blossoms  was  sharp  and  narrow  to  the  side,  and  slightly  from  the  rear, 
without  a  reflector.  This  handling  was  entirely  different  from  the 
large,  single  cereus.  Even  the  background  was  changed  as  to  surface, 
tint,  and  shading,  it  having  a  different  mission  to  perform  in  this 
case, — the  suggestion  of  atmospheric  environment;  in  the  other,  the 
appearance  of  plastic  relief. 

The  characteristic  charm  of  the  cherry  blossoms  is  the  expression  of 
dainty  crispness,  and  to  preserve  this  all  legitimate  resources  were 
brought  to  bear  by  harmonizing  the  lighting,  exposure,  and  develop- 
ment. 

The  principal  features  of  the  little  geranium  plant  are  its  quaint- 
ness  of  outline  and  contrasts  in  tone  values.     It  may  be  of  interest 
o  know  that  it  was  taken  while  growing  in  its  earthen  jar.     I  might 
state  here,  m  passing,  that  there  is  a  notion  that  flowers  should  be 
tken  when  on  the  growing  plant.     On  the  contrary,  there  are  many 
that  adapt  themselves  better  for  artistic  effects  two  and  even  three  days 
after  being  cut,  as  they  then  become  more  pliable,   and   fall   readily 


PHOTOGRAPHING     PLANT     LIFE.  109 

into  pleasing  curves.  The  lighting  in  this  case  was  somewhat  from 
above,  rather  contrastivc,  and  no  reflector  was  used;  the  petals  being  very 
white,  as  much  shadow  as  possible  was  desired.  One  studying  the 
print  may  notice  that  the  illuminated  leaves  are  against  the  dark  part 
of  the  ground,  and  the  leaves  in  shadow  against  the  lighter.  This  was 
so  arranged  for  the  purpose  of  emphasizing  the  leaves,  and  bringing 
them  into  relief,  so  as  to  keep  up  the  interest,  after  having  studied  the 
play  of  light  and  shade  on  the  more  striking  part  of  the  picture,  thus 
giving  a  feeling  of  satisfaction  and  a  unity  of  effect. 

Here  we  see  that  the  leaves  are  made  much  of  and  are  quite  sharp. 

The  wild  California  poppy,  although  very  difficult  to  handle,  gives 
most  satisfying  results  on  account  of  its  wild  and  unaffected  graceful- 
ness, the  flowers  having  such  a  variety  of  positions  upon  the  stems, 
together  with  the  tender,  drooping  foliage.  Most  of  the  wild  flowers 
suggest  the  idea  of  freedom  and  unrestraint.  They  must,  therefore,  be 
handled  in  a  spirit  of  tolerance  to  their  native  characteristics.  This 
can  be  done  only  by  leaving  them  free  and  airy,  not  bunched  up  like 
cultivated  ones,  with  stems  all  emanating  from  one  common  center 
in  an  elaborate  vase,  thus  proving  to  us  from  the  start  that  they  are 
sorry  captives. 

As  the  wild  flower  in  its  native  heath  usually  stands  somewhat 
-apart,  it  is  necessary,  if  we  wish  to  preserve  its  nature,  to  handle  the 
background  with  much  delicacy,  so  as  to  environ  the  plants  with  the 
feeling  that  they  are  freely  nodding  and  bending  in  a  moving,  surging 
atmosphere.  To  get  this  desirable  result,  no  two  square  inches  of  the 
background  should  be  of  the  same  tone  value,  yet  each  value  must  per- 
form its  function  in  its  proper  place.  This  depends  upon  lighting  the 
ground  independently  of  the  flower,  and  not  having  it  too  dark  or  too 
light,  too  plain  or  too  spotted,  but  a  happy  medium  between  the  seem- 
ingly visible  and  invisible. 

We  may  now  naturally  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  not  the 
kind  of  lens,  chemicals,  or  background,  any  more  than  it  is  the  paint- 
er's brushes,  pigments,  or  canvas,  that  make  the  picture,  but  that  these 
are  the  tools,  guided  by  a  spirit  of  deep  love  and  humility  to  desire  to 
portray  those  creations  of  which  the  Master  spoke  when  He  said,  "Sol- 
omon in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these." 

These  jottings  on  a  few  flower  studies  are  made  with  the  desire 
to  awaken  an  interest  in  this  fascinating  branch  of  the  art,  and  to  show 
in  humble  beginnings  the  possibilities  in  the  untrodden  paths  that  are 
before  earnest  workers  who  may  wish  to  portray  simplicity,  expression, 
and  texture  in  flower  studies. 

Berkeley,  Cal. 


HO  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

WHAT    SEMITROPICAL    GARDENING    HAS    DONE    FOR 
CIVILIZATION. 

BY    E.    J.     WICKSON. 

In  the  semitropical  garden  of  the  present  day  the  human  race  renews 
its  youth.  The  earliest  records  of  civilization  were  made  amid  the 
splendid  vegetation  which  sprang  naturally  from  the  rich  soil  in  the 
valleys  of  the  Euphrates  and  the  Nile,  supplemented  probably  by  the 
acquisitions  of  fruit  and  flowers  made  by  barbaric  tribes  returning 
from  their  excursions  into  distant  parts  of  Asia.  Before  the  pyramids 
uprose,  before  the  most  ancient  Chaldean  records  were  inscribed,  man- 
kind had  learned  to  love  plants  and  flowers,  and  history  dawns  upon 
people  skilled  in  horticultural  arts  and  moved  by  horticultural  senti- 
ment. All  the  wonderful,  erudite  researches  of  the  last  half  century, 
which  have  brought  to  light  so  much  about  ancient  peoples,  have  dis- 
closed nothing  more  capable  of  demonstration,  nor  more  lofty  in  sig- 
nificance, than  the  simple  declaration  of  Genesis,  "And  the  Lord  planted 
a  garden  eastward  in  Eden,  and  there  He  put  the  man  whom  He  had 
formed."  But  however  men  may  argue,  pro  and  con,  about  the  reason- 
ableness of  the  conception  that  the  Creator  put  man  at  the  beginning 
into  a  garden  of  the  grandest  plant  collections  and  culture,  with  mind 
to  understand  and  heart  to  love  them,  there  can  be  no  question  that 
God  put  the  garden  into  the  heart  of  man  at  the  very  beginning,  and 
there  it  has  remained  ever  since  as  an  inspiration,  an  incitement,  and 
a  sublime  comfort.  Horticulture  has  existed  as  a  moving  force  in 
poetry,  in  philosophy,  in  ethics,  and  in  religion.  It  has  taught  duty  to 
God  and  duty  to  man  to  all  people  in  all  ages. 

But  why  should  it  be  claimed  that  the  semitropical  garden  is  entitled 
to  special  consideration  in  this  connection?  Is  it  not  true  of  any 
honest  gardening,  or  at  least  of  any  true  following  of  what  i?  called 
the  natural  in  gardening  art? — Undoubtedly  it  is  true  of  any  embodi- 
ment, however  rude,  of  plant  love  and  care.  It  is  one  proof,  perhaps, 
that  the  gift  is  from  a  beneficent  Creator,  that  its  truth  does  not  admit 
of  degree,  that  a  single  plant  in  the  window  of  a  tenement  may  fill  a 
heart  to  its  full  capacity  for  elevation,  joy,  and  generosity.  And  what 
more  can  the  grandest  gardening  do?  But  while  all  true  gardening 
merits  praise,  and  has  always  received  the  homage  of  mankind,  the 
semitropical  garden  is  entitled  to  a  certain  eminence  from  several  points 
of  view. 

Traditionally,  the  semitropical  is  the  pioneer  garden.  Of  half  a 
dozen  sites  of  Edens  for  which  theologians  have  contended,  all  were  in 


SEMITROPICAL  GARDENING.  HI 

semitropical  situations.  Historically,  the  greatest  gardens  of  the  world 
have  been  made  in  semitropical  regions. 

Naturally,  the  grandest  results  in  acclimation  and  the  widest  diver- 
sity of  beautiful  forms  of  plant,  flower,  and  fruit  are  to  be  found  in  that 
favored  belt  of  the  earth's  surface  to  which  both  the  temperate  and 
tropical  zones  have  given  many  of  their  best  plant  treasures,  and  where 
these  refugees  from  killing  frosts  or  burning  heat  assume,  in  some 
respects  at  least,  a  perfection  of  form  and  fruitage  which  they  do  not 
attain  in  the  regions  of  extremes  whence  they  came.  It  would  appear, 
then,  that  when  man  or  nature,  or  both  together,  would  achieve  the 
highest  results  of  gardening  art,  they  have  chosen  a  location  "having 
characteristics  intermediate  between,  or  common  to,  both  the  temperate 
and  tropical  zones/'  which  are  the  words  the  Standard  Dictionary  gives 
as  a  definition  of  subtropical  or  semitropical;  for  these  two  terms 
seem  to  be  practically  interchangeable. 

Again,  the  semitropical  garden  can  claim  eminence  for  the  gifts  it 
has  made  to  gardening  in  the  temperate  zone.  The  migrations  of  the 
Aryan  nations  from  western  Asia  towards  Europe,  which  began  about 
2500  B.  c.,  carried  into  the  more  northerly  regions  of  the  temperate 
zone  the  plants,  fruits,  and  grains  which  had  been  gathered  in  the  east 
Mediterranean  countries  from  all  other  semitropical  regions  of  Asia,  by 
tribal  conquest  or  interchange,  during  more  remote  times.  From  as  far 
east  as  China  and  as  far  south  as  India  the  choicest  plants  had  been 
collected  to  enrich  the  gardens  of  Phoenicia  and  Egypt.  These  passed 
on  the  arms  of  conquest  into  barbaric  Europe,  and  upon  these  fruits 
and  grains  was  established  European  civilization.  What  we  have  come 
to  look  upon  now  as  the  natural  products  of  the  upper  regions  of  the 
north  temperate  zone  originally  came  from  the  south,  and  were  the 
achievements  of  ages  of  prehistoric  semitropical  gardening.  Very 
creditable  is  it  to  the  enterprise  of  the  more  northerly  latitudes  that 
they  have  done  so  well  with  these  legacies  from  an  extinct  Asiatic  civ- 
ilization, for  they  have  ennobled  them  by  centuries  of  selection,  and 
have  added  to  them  the  grand  developments  made  from  their  own 
indigenous  plants.  They  have  accomplished  wonders,  also,  in  devices 
for  protecting  these  semitropical  wanderers  from  the  inclemency  of 
northern  .climates.  They  have  erected  walls  to  ward  off  Arctic  blasts, 
and  to  concentrate  upon  them  the  heat  and  light  from  the  southern 
sun.  They  have  spread  over  them  thousands  of  acres  of  glass,  and  have 
caused  them  to  grow  in  an  artificial  summer  heat  born  of  stoves  and 
furnaces. 

Thus,  the  indulgent  northmen  have  cherished  their  tender  visitants 
from  semitropical  lands ;  thus  have  they  learned  their  nature  and  their 
needs,  and  their  reward  has  been  rich  and  ample.  In  their  hearts  they 


112  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

recognize  the  influence  of  these  rare  forms  of  beauty,  and  their  lives 
testify  that  they  have  accepted  both  the  precept  and  the  illustration 
which  came  to  them  from  the  Holy  Land,  for  they  delight  to  "consider 
the  lilies;  how  they  grow."  The  agencies  toward  elevation  and  refine- 
ment which  the  Aryans  carried  northward  from  Asia  were  tokens  of  the 
greater  gift  which  two  millenniums  later  the  same  region  bestowed  upon 
all  mankind. 

The  horticultural  wealth  which  flowed  out  from  the  semitropical 
regions  adjacent  to  the  Mediterranean  was  carried  erelong  by  European 
discoverers  to  the  New  World.  In  return  therefor  America  and  Australia 
have  made  rich  donations  to  European  horticulture  from  their  own 
indigenous  flora.  The  arts  of  peace,  such  as  commerce,  scientific  ex- 
ploration, and  missionary  enterprise,  have,  during  the  last  few  centuries, 
made  all  the  world  akin,  and  brought  the  plants  of  all  the  world  to  the 
hands  of  those  who  will  properly  care  for  them.  The  result  is  that 
semitropical  gardening  at  the  present  day  belts  the  globe  and  delights 
all  nations.  Though  our  later  day  has  no  instances  of  sumptuous 
gardening  such  as  Asiatic  potentates  secured  at  fabulous  cost  of  gold 
and  slave  labor,  we  have  something  inexpressibly  better  in  the  wider 
dissemination  of  taste,  refinement,  and  ennobling  recreation.  The 
hanging  gardens  of  Babylon  were  the  logical  culmination  of  horticul- 
tural effort  under  the  half-lights  of  ancient  pagan  civilization.  They 
gave  embodiment  to  ambition,  artifice,  oppression.  The  full  light  of 
Christian  civilization  fills  our  horticulture  with  humility,  truth, 
humanity.  The  central  idea  in  the  old  garden  was  the  palace;  in  the 
garden  of  to-day  it  is  the  home. 

One  of  the  most  striking  marks  of  semitropical  gardening  is  the 
contrast  which  it  presents  to  gardening  in  northern  latitudes  in  the 
attainable  variety  of  form  and  hue  in  stem,  foliage,  and  bloom.     This 
hardly  needs  elaboration  or  definition.     The  fact  is  so  well  known  that 
it  is  a  feature  of  northern  landscape  architecture  to  set  apart  suitable 
areas  to  semitropical  plants  which  are  brought  out  from  cellars  or  green- 
houses each  spring  to  display  their  beauties  during  the  summer  months, 
is  a  commendable  proceeding  when  well  done.     But,  of  course,  the 
achievement,  even  when  secured  with  good  taste  and  with  ample  means, 
a  faint  exponent  of  the  charms  of  the  real  semitropical  garden. 
t  must  lack  the  luxuriance,  the  diversity,  and  the  splendid  size  of 
)lants  which  full  years  of  open-air  growth  produce  for  southern  gar- 
sners.     These  limitations  are  strikingly  apparent  to  those  who  know 
from  observations  both  the  true  semitropical  garden  and  its  northern 
emgy. 

Think  of  the  almost  endless  list  of  evergreens  which  are  perhaps  the 
most  distinctive  of  the  thermal  regions,  the  palms  or  araucarias,  and 


SEMITROPICAL  GARDENING.  113 

bamboos,  with  their  wonderful  variety  in  size  and  form;  the  eucalypti, 
with  their  towering  altitudes  and  varied  hues  of  foliage  and  bark  and 
bloom.  Think  of  the  acacias,  some  of  them  favorites  in  the  northern 
greenhouses,  but  which  carry  huge  loads  of  golden  and  fragrant  bloom 
to  a  height  of  forty  feet  in  twenty  years  in  California.  Think  of  the 
splendid  magnolias  of  the  south ;  the  Grevillias  and  tree  ferns  of  Aus- 
tralia, which  throw  out  their  graceful  foliage  in  full  confidence  under 
the  semitropical  sky.  And  then  recall  the  imperial  citrus  family,  with 
foliage  of  emerald  and  fruit  of  gold.  What  of  beauty,  fragrance,  and 
deliciousness  of  fruit  the  name  suggests  even  to  northern  minds !  But 
it  is  idle  to  attempt  to  enumerate  even  the  classes  of  plants  which  con- 
tribute to  the  diversity  and  beauty,  and  enter  into  the  distinctive  char- 
acter, of  the  semitropical  garden.  If  you  take  all  the  foliage,  flowering, 
and  fruiting  plants  which  are  grown  in  ordinary  greenhouse  tempera- 
tures at  the  north,  all  the  plants  of  the  window  garden,  and  nine-tenths 
of  the  plants  which  thrive  in  the  open  air  in  the  northern  garden  and 
orchard,  and  weave  them  into  an  open-air  scene,  you  can  obtain  some 
conception  of  the  resources  of  the  semitropical  gardener. 

It  follows,  then,  naturally  that  the  semitropical  garden  is  an  abode 
of  supreme  delight  to  those  who  enjoy  "an  art  which  does  mend  nature/' 
As  practised  in  the  semitropics,  it  is  an  art  which  appeals  irresistibly 
to  all  people.  Xewcomers  in  whom  no  horticultural  fervor  has  ever 
been  awakened  in  their  native  northern  regions  become  charmed  with 
the  new  scenes,  and  enthusiastic  in  their  personal  effort  and  free  invest- 
ments. The  one  who  has  always  cherished  garden  love  is  overwhelmed 
and  entranced  by  the  new  possibilities  and  opportunities  which  surround 
him.  Women  who  have  in  their  northern  homes  given  mild  devotion 
to  plants,  mainly  as  tasteful  decorative  affairs,  become  enraptured  with 
the  brilliance  and  fragrance  of  the  semitropical  garden,  and  bring  new 
luster  to  their  eyes  and  bloom  to  their  cheeks  and  new  purpose  to  their 
lives,  through  their  devotion  to  the  semitropical  flora. 

Semitropical  gardening  in  the  United  States  is  just  at  the  beginning 
of  its  popularity  and  development.  The  splendid  plants  in  the  old 
gardens  ait  the  south  and  the  legacies  left  by  the  padres  in  the  old  mis- 
sions of  California  are  but  suggestions  of  the  future.  Naturally,  com- 
mercial horticulture  has  first  laid  hold  upon  the  semitropical  resources 
of  the  country,  and  has  demonstrated  that  American  energy  and  acumen 
are  not  dulled  by  escape  from  the  touch  of  frost.  Ornamental  horti- 
culture, here  as  everywhere,  will  follow  with  garlands  for  the  indus- 
trial victors.  As  it  is  a  new  art  for  any  English-speaking  people,  one  of 
its  greatest  needs  at  the  present  time  is  aid  and  guidance  in  knowledge 
of  semitropical  plants  and  what  to  do  with  them.  Gardening  treatises 
in  the  English  language  treat  of  northern  practises;  even  the  semi- 


114 


PACIFIC    STATES    FLORAL    CONGRESS. 


tropical  plants  are  discoursed  upon  in  the  terms  of  protection  and  arti- 
fida  t  mperatures.  How  to  grow  tender  plants  in  the  open  air,  and 
how  to  Zw  the  hardy  plants  of  the  north  amid  the  new  environment  of 
"he  sen"  ropical  situations,  are  questions  which  writers  experienced  m 
Ihese  undertakings  should  demonstrate.  Vastly  more  and  better  work 
would  follow  fuller  information  in  such  matters. 

In  this  matter  of  adequately  developing  the  semitropical  element  m 
English  horticultural  literature,  California  has  both  an  opportunity  and 
a  duty  Every  individual  should  do  his  and  her  full  part,  either  in 
writing  with  clearness  as  to  cultural  details,  with  honesty  and  truth  as 
to  limitations,  and  with  due  appreciation  of  the  spirit  of  the  effort. 


LU   llllii  i/cx  I/A vyj-i^j    lAij-i-v,  _  . 

poets  and  artists  may  be  trusted  to  seize  their  opportunities;  it  is  the 
more  labored  and  yet  not  less  significant  prose  of  scientific  inquiry  and 
practical  operation  which  should  be  encouraged  and  promoted,  becaus 


it  will  aid  others  to  an  understanding  of  the  materials,  agencies,  ami 
methods  involved  in  the  highest  type  of  gardening  which  our  climate 
favors.  To  this  end  it  is  desirable  that  floral  societies  should  be  organ- 
ized and  that  their  members  should  put  forth  untiring  effort  in  garden 
culture  and  experiment,  in  essay  and  discussion,  and  in  exhibition  of 
their  best  achievements. 

California  is  finely-equipped  to  make  a  splendid  contribution  to  sub- 
tropical gardening,  and  is  thus  prepared  to  discharge  in  some  measure 
the  debt  which  the  present  owes  to  earlier  civilizations.  We  have  re- 
ceived from  all  the  world  an  endowment  of  skill  in  floral  arts  and  floral 
sentiment.  In  the  ranks  of  our  varied  and  enlightened  population  we 
have  plant-lovers  and  culturists  from  the  whole  breadth  of  the  Old 
World,  from  Ireland  eastward  to  Japan.  We  have  those  who  have  heard 
flower  lore  in  all  the  tongues  of  men.  Nowhere  on  the  earth  is  there 
such  a  gathering  of  devotees  to  floriculture.  We  have  also  the  choicest 
plants  from  the  utmost  confines  of  the  planet.  To  these  legacies  we  add 
American  aptness,  skill,  and  ingenuity ;  beneath  them  all,  our  soil ;  above 
them  all,  our  sky.  Where  in  the  world  should  the  art  of  floriculture 
attain  higher  development  or  produce  grander  masterpieces? 

But  to  attain  such  ends  we  must  advance  a  step  beyond  ordinary 
dooryard  gardening.  Such  gardening  usually  ends  just  at  the  begin- 
ning of  skill  in  growing,  of  discrimination  in  selecting  and  admiring, 
and  of  depth  in  appreciating.  A  person  can  possess  an  ordinary,  con- 
ventional garden  without  any  particular  fervor  or  intensity  of  interest 
in  it.  He  has  the  general  consciousness  that  it  is  trim  and  neat  and 
nice  to  have.  It  is  only  when  one  begins  to  look  the  flowers  straight 
in  the  face  and  note  their  particular  characters  that  knowledge  of  them 
really  begins.  Then  Avhen  the  first  lesson  in  flower-loving  is  taken,  the 
longing  for  more  knowledge,  more  skill,  and  truer  "floriculture  takes 


SEMITEOPICAL   GAHDENING.  115 

possession  of  the  heart.  One  must  learn  something  of  the  relationship 
of  the  plant,  the  origin  and  history  of  the  variety,  the  culture  which 
enables  it  to  attain  its  highest  excellence.  Then  comes  the  yearning  for 
more  varieties,  to  know  which  are  the  best,  and  to  secure  them.  The 
home  acre  becomes  no  longer  merely  a  piece  of  decoration;  it  is  an 
awakener  of  the  deepest  interest,  a  sharpener  of  the  senses  and  the  per- 
ceptions; an  incentive  to  admiration  and  adoration.  It  invites  thought 
and  purpose;  it  affords  the  most  charming  recreation;  it  softens,  ele- 
vates, and  ennobles  our  manhood  and  womanhood. 

Among  our  wonderful  achievements  we  are  too  apt  to  forget  the 
heart  work  which  is  the  greatest  of  the  humanities.  Many  agencies  min- 
ister to  the  awakening  of  purer,  truer  sentiment.  Not  the  least  of  them 
is  that  branch  of  nature  study  which  we  as  flower-growers  and  flower- 
lovers  enjoy.  Let  us  not  cease,  then,  to  urge  its  delights  and  its  bene- 
fits upon  the  attention  of  our  friends  and  associates  and  upon  all  to 
whom  our  influence  can  extend. 

A  grand  opportunity  has  recently  opened  to  American  horticultural 
enterprise  and  effort.  The  new  lands  which  have  recently  fallen  to 
our  care  and  guidance  are  naturally  endowed  with  every  phase  of  trop- 
ical and  semitropical  conditions.  They  have  largely  lacked,  hitherto, 
the  motive  and  incentive  to  higher  civilization.  With  the  other  noble 
efforts  which  Americans  shall  make  for  the  uplifting  of  these  benighted 
peoples,  the  popularization  of  tropical  and  semitropical  horticulture,  and 
the  appreciation  of  its  spirit  and  its  influence  in  the  advancement  of 
civilization,  should  be  earnestly  promoted,  both  by  individual  and  gov- 
ernmental effort.  It  is  the  duty  of  all  who  understand  the  humanizing 
and  civilizing  power  of  enlightening  horticulture  to  insist  that  Amer- 
icans shall  invoke  this  power  as  one  of  the  agencies  in  the  solution  of 
the  difficult  problems  which  now  impend. 

University  of  California. 


HQ  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

CALIFORNIA    SEED    INDUSTRY. 

BY    WALDO    ROHNERT. 

Few  people  realize  the  immensity  of  the  culture  of  seeds-in  the  state 
of  California.  From  a  very  small  beginning,  twenty-five  years  ago,  only 
utilizing  a  few  acres  of  land,  enough  to  supply  a  small  local  demand, 
this  industry  has  grown  to  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  state, 
utilizing  at  the  present  between  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  acres,  not 
only  supplying  the  demand  for  the  United  States,  but  shipping  its 
product  to  seed  centers  in  foreign  lands. 

This  industry  has  increased  from  the  growing  of  a  few  varieties, 
such  as  onion  and  lettuce  seed,  to  nearly  the  whole  list  of  vegetable  and 
flower  seeds  found  in  the  seedman's  catalogue.  It  has  surely  kept  pace 
with  other  industries  of  this  state. 

During  the  visit  in  1892  of  Peter  Henderson,  who  was  considered 
one  of  the  leading  lights  and  authorities  on  all  horticultural  matters 
pertaining  to  the  culture  of  flowers  and  vegetables,  he  said :  "I  am  cer- 
tain that  California,  before  fifty  years,  will  be  the  great  seed  and  bulb- 
growing  country  of  the  world.  You  have  the  exact  conditions  of 
climate  necessary  to  grow  seeds,"  etc.  This  statement  is  verified  by  all 
horticultural  authorities  who  visit  our  state. 

Truly  in  a  land  of  sunshine  and  flowers,  possessing  a  climate  vary- 
ing from  the  warmth  of  the  tropics  to  the  coldness  of  the  Arctic,  with 
the  soil  ranging  from  the  lightest  and  warmest  sands  to  the  heaviest 
adobe,  are  locations  which  possess  conditions  peculiar  to  the  full  devel- 
opment of  all  flower  and  vegetable  seeds. 

Since  seed-growing  has  given  to  the  state  one  of  its  principal  indus- 
tries, California  is  now  the  Mecca  of  all  seed  buyers  of  the  United 
States.  During  the  growing  season,  when  the  vegetables  and  flowers 
are  resplendent  with  the  wealth  and  variety  of  color,  the  seed  planta- 
tions are  inspected  by  representatives  of  the  largest  eastern  seed  houses. 
The  principal  causes  for  the  growth  of  this  business  are  due  to  its 
various  climate,  its  rich  soils,  and  moisture.  The  climate  of  California 
is  especially  adapted  to  the  full  development  of  all  seeds,  for  the  reason 
that  the  plants  are  not  subjected  to  the  extremes  of  temperature.  The 
warm,  bright  days,  with  the  cool,  moist  nights,  produce  a  growth  that 
is  somewhat  slow  but  conducive  to  health  and  vigor,  without  which 
heavy,  plump  seed  could  not  be  developed.  Nearly  uniform  temper- 
ature being  desirable,  all  seed  farms  are  located  in  valleys  open  to  or 
near  the  Pacific  Ocean.  This  gives  to  all  plant  growth  the  benefit 
derived  from  the  westerly  winds,  which  vary  little  in  temperature. 
These  winds  are  modified  by  the  amount  of  water  they  carry,  and  conse- 


CALIFORNIA    SEED    INDUSTRY.  117 

quently  plant  growth  receives  no  check  in  developing.  The  warm, 
incessant  sunshine  is  also  one  of  the  factors  in  the  perfecting  of  all 
plants.  The  soil  of  California  is  all  that  could  be  desired.  The  moist 
peat  bottoms  of  the  Sacramento  Elver,  the  rich  alluvial  deposits  of  the 
coast  valleys,  the  warm,  light  soils  of  southern  California,  give  such  a 
variety  of  rich  soils  that  all  plants,  no  matter  what  their  requirements, 
can  in  some  location  find  a  congenial  growing  place.  The  rich  alluvial 
deposit  of  the  valleys  is  classed  as  the  richest  of  soils.  It  is  easy  to 
work,  and  produces  an  enormous  growth. 

While  an  average  season  will  produce  enough  rainfall  to  carry  mos 
seed  crops  to  maturity,  still  there  are  some  seasons  in  which  the  proper 
amount  of  moisture  is  lacking.  Irrigation  plants  have  been  installed 
by  all  the  large  growers,  so  that  nature  is  not  entirely  depended  upon  to 
carry  a  crop  to  maturity.  Rainfall  coming  in  the  winter  and  spring 
months  develops  an  enormous  root  growth,  so  that  crops  can  withstand 
the  usual  summer  drought.  But  dry  as  it  is  in  summer,  the  westerly 
winds  always  carry  a  great  amount  of  moisture,  which  is  beneficial. 
The  entire  lack  of  rainfall  in  summer  is  one  of  the  principal  features 
that  go  to  make  the  superiority  of  California  seed.  All  seed  can  lr 
harvested  without  danger  of  loss  by  rain,  and  consequently  all  Califor- 
nia seed  is  bright  and  of  high  vitality. 

In  comparing  the  seeds  produced  in  other  parts  of  the  United 
States  and  in  foreign  countries,  we  find  the  California  article  is  better 
cleaned,  heavier,  and  plumper.  This  is  not  always  so  with  other  seed; 
a  dry  summer  or  a  rain  during  harvesting  will  cause  the  seed  to  be  light 
or  discolored,  often  injuring  the  vitality. 

While  nearly  all  varieties  of  seed  are  grown  in  the  state,  onion  seed 
is  one  of  the  most  important.  Onion  seed  is  now  grown  by  the  hundreds 
of  acres;  over  100,000  sacks  of  bulbs  are  used  annually  for  the  produc- 
tion of  seed.  California  onion  seed  is  heavier  and  larger  than  that 
grown  in  the  east,  and  retains  its  vitality  for  a  greater  length  of  time. 
This  climate  is  especially  adapted  for  its  production.  It  is  estimated 
that  ninety  per  cent  of  all  the  onion  seed  now  used  in  the  United  States 
is  California  grown.  Annual  crops  amounted  to  over  400,000  pounds, 
having  a  value  of  $200,000.  The  cheapness  of  the  bulbs,  heavy  yield, 
and  entire  absence  of  rain  during  harvesting  season  have  made  this  crop 
one  of  great  profit  to  seed-growers.  Over  ninety-five  per  cent  of  the 
lettuce  seed  used  in  this  country  is  grown  in  this  state.  California 
climate  is  especially  well  suited  for  this  industry.  A  slow-growing 
climate  and  a  long  season  for  developing  produce  strains  that  have  a 
heavy  leaf  development  and  are  slow  in  running  to  seed. 

All  the  Lima  beans  and  nearly  all  the  pole  beans  used  for  seed  pur- 
poses in  this  country  are  grown  in  Santa  Barbara  and  Ventura  Counties. 


118  PACIFIC  STATES  FLOKAL  CONGRESS. 

Bean-raising  is  one  of  the  most  important  branches  of  the  seed  industry. 
Thousands  of  acres  are  utilized,  and  hundreds  of  car-loads  are  grown. 
Among  the  other  vegetable  seeds  which  are  largely  produced  are  carrot, 
radish,  salsify,  mustard,  spinach,  tomato,  beet,  and  celery.  While  the 
individual  acreage  of  these  is  not  so  large,  yet  taken  as  a  whole  the 
amount  of  seed  grown  is  an  enormous  quantity. 

While  the  culture  of  vegetable  seeds  has  been  developed  to  a  large 
extent  in  the  last  twenty  years,  the  culture  of  flower  seeds  is  of  a  more 
recent  date,  but  the  growth  of  this  business  is  increasing  very  rapidly, 
and  promises  in  the  future  to  supply  all  the  flower  seeds  for  the  demand 
of  the  United  States.  This  branch  of  seed-raising  is  largely  at  an 
experimental  stage,  yet  the  growers,  as  they  become  expert  in  growing 
the  various  kinds,  are  putting  the  business  on  a  more  solid  basis. 
Formerly  all  flower  seed  consumed  in  this  country  came  from  European 
seed  growers.  But  now,  as  California  growers  are  becoming  experts, 
and  as  the  several  growers  are  specializing  themselves  to  certain  vari- 
eties, California  is  fast  replacing  foreign  flower  seed.  Sweet  pea  seed 
is  probably  the  most  important  flower  seed  now  grown  in  California. 
Eleven  years  ago  not  one  acre  of  sweet  peas  was  grown  for  seed  purposes, 
Irat  now  the  acreage  amounts  to  over  three  hundred,  yielding  200,000 
pounds.  California  growers  have  not  only  increased  the  sweet  pea 
business  to  such  an  extent,  but  have  developed  many  new  novelties  of 
£reat  merit,  improving  the  size,  form,  color,  and  substance  to  such  a 
degree  that  the  old  varieties  are  fast  becoming  obsolete.  Expert  grow- 
ers in  southern  California  have  national  reputations  for  their  nas- 
turtium, petunia,  smilax,  and  cosmos  seed.  The  growers  in  Santa 
Clara  Valley  are  putting  forth  their  best  efforts  on  aster,  verbena, 
mignonette,  and  sweet  pea  seeds.  These  are  all  grown  to  a  more  or  less 
degree  of  success,  and  the  acreage  is  fast  increasing. 

The  growers  have  overcome  many  difficulties  in  the  establishing  of 
the  seed-raising  industry  in  this  state.     The  success  is  due  to  the  well- 
suited  climate  and  virgin  soils;  still,  the  carefulness  and  integrity  of 
the  growers  have  also  greatly  helped.     As  a  rule,  California  growers  are 
extremely  critical  in  the  growing  of  their  crops,  rogueing  all  imperfect 
plants,  and  selecting  nothing  but  what  is  true  to  name  and  variety. 
Quality,  not  quantity,"   is   their  motto.     They  have  had   the  disad- 
vantage of  competition  with  seed-growers  in  foreign  countries,  who  have 
the  benefit  of  hundreds  of  years  of  experience.     They  have  also 
Jmpeted  with  cheap  foreign  labor  and  high  transportation  rates. 

id-raising  is  now  only  in  its  infancy  in  California,  and  as  the 
s  become  more  experienced  and  the  high  quality  of  the  seed  better 
known   there  is  no  reason  why  California  should  not  only  supplv  the 
United  States,  but  all  civilized  countries  with  her  seed. 

Qilroy,  CaL 


FLORICULTURE    OF     SAX     FRANCISCO — PAST    AND     PRESENT.         119 

FLORICULTURE  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO,  PAST  AND 
PRESENT. 

BY     MRS.    A.     R.     GUNNISON. 

To  California,  the  "Golden  State, — Cal-y-for-no,  the  land  of  lime- 
kilns,"— belongs  the  honor  of  being  the  home  of  the  Yosemite  Valley, 
one  of  the  eleven  wonders  of  America.*  This  state,  eight  hundred 
miles  long  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  width,  has  also  the  honor  of  call- 
ing its  chief  city  San  Francisco,  the  great,  the  only  San  Francisco. 
Gold  was  discovered  in  1848,  which  brought  a  rush  of  immigration  dur- 
ing the  following  year,  and  on  September  9,  1850,  it  became  one  of 
the  United  States. 

The  first  horticultural  work  was  done  by  and  under  control  of  the 
missions,  vineyards  and  some  trees  being  planted.  Nothing  was  known 
of  this  work  outside  the  missions.  To  the  world  California  was  known, 
in  1850,  only  for  its  gold. 

San  Francisco's  Mission,  on  Dolores  near  Sixteenth  Street,  is  about 
125  years  old.  In  a  "Chronicle"  of  October  4,  1896,  is  the  following: 
"Along  the  western  wall  is  a  very  old  cemetery  where  many  of  the 
celebrated  personages  of  old  California  days  lie  buried.  The  faith- 
ful who  died  in  those  dim  years  are  buried  here  under  tombstones 
that  lean  slantwise,  smothered  in  a  rioting  mass  of  roses  and  jessamine, 
Avhich  grow  wild." 

People  from  everywhere,  coming  in  with  the  gold  fever,  formed  a 
•cosmopolitan  community, — the  same  impulse  binding  men  of  all  nation- 
alities together  in  one  common  brotherhood. 

For  ten  or  twelve  years  after  the  gold  excitement,  the  great  expense 
of  bringing  food  across  the  continent  and  around  the  Horn,  and  its 
cost  after  arriving,  induced  a  few  to  try  agriculture.  Flour  and  beans 
were  $50  per  sack,  apples  and  oranges  $1.00  each,  and  must  be  kept 
and  looked  at  before  eating  as  long  as  possible. 

The  early  planting  was  done  in  a  haphazard  manner,  and  our 
farmer  could  use  no  rules  in  vogue  at  the  east.  He  learned  by  experi- 
ence that,  with  irrigation,  more  than  one  crop  of  vegetables  could  be 
raised  during  the  year.  He  had  no  need  here  of  storing  his  products 
in  cellars,  banked  in  earth  and  sawdust  as  a  protection  against  frost. 
Time  proved  that,  besides  its  mineral  wealth,  California  possessed  for 
the  agriculturist  a  wide  field. 


*The  name  California  originated  in  a  popular  Spanish  romance  published  as 
early  as  1520,  in  which  it  was  applied  to  a  fabulous  island  near  the  Indies,  and  also 
near  the  Terrestrial  Paradise.— Mrs.  L.  O.  H. 


120  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

Between  the  years  of  1860  and  1875,  grain  growing  and  cattle  rais- 
ing formed  the  chief  pursuits. 

At  the  present  day,  with  cheap  and  rapid  transit,  plants  and  seeds 
may  be  secured  by  those  of  even  moderate  means. 

In  California,  45  or  50  years  ago,  letter  postage  was  25  cents,  and 
men  stood  in  line  at  the  post-office  waiting  for  their  news  from  home, 
and  flower  seeds  by  mail  were  an  almost  impossibility. 

The  principal  florists  in  1853  were  Colonel  Warren,  Henry  Sonntag, 
E.  L.  Keimer,  and  Mr.  Richard.  The  latter,  located  at  the  plaza,  sold 
rosebuds  at  $2.50  and  $3.00  each.  Prior  to  1852,  buds  were  $5.00  each. 
These  florists  and  those  of  the  United  States  Nursery,  on  .Fifth  and 
Folsom  Streets,  imported  part  of  their  plants  from  New  York,  Bos- 
ton, and  Philadelphia,  by  way  of  Panama, 

Quantities  of  shrubbery  came  from  Australia. 

Mr.  Reimer  was  the  first  to  gather  and  raise  the  seed  of  our  wild 
Monterey  cypress,  selling  the  plants  in  1855  for  $3.00  and  $5.00  each. 
His  tuberoses  were  especially  fine.  In  1856  he  advertised  that  a  plant 
auction  would  be  held  at  Healdsburg.  This  was  made  a  festive  occasion, 
other  business  being  postponed  for  four  or  five  hours.  Plants  of 
Agrippena  roses  brought  $3.00  each;  honeysuckles,  $5.00,  and  wall- 
flowers, $1.25  each.  Violets  in  pots  were  $2.00,  and  other  plants  in 
like  proportion.  Over  and  above  expenses  these  plants  netted  him  $1,000. 
When  the  women  began  to  come  to  California,  with  them  came  the 
desire  to  beautify  their  surroundings.  They  longed  for  beds  of  mari- 
golds and  mignonette,  such  as  they  had  left  behind  them.  They  soon 
found  that  the  climate  and  soil  of  their  adopted  homes  enabled  them 
not  only  to  equal,  but  to  far  surpass,  the  beauty  of  their  eastern  homes. 
The  children  of  those  pioneer  women  have  since  made  gardens  of 
their  own.  But  none  possess  the  charm  of  those  of  their  early  years, 
which  were  laden  with  the  perfume  of  the  sweetest  rose  that  ever  grew, 
the  soft,  old-fashioned  Castilian. 

While  the  soil  yielded  readily,  the  greatest  drawback  was  in  the 
water  supply.  In  the  suburbs  water  was  forced  into  tanks  by  wind- 
mills and  pumps  for  future  use.  The  waste  water  from  the  kitchens 
was  saved  in  barrels,  and  utilized  on  the  garden  patch.  From  1850 
until  the  present  system  was  established,  water  was  drawn  in  large 
barrels  by  horses  through  the  streets  of  San  Francisco.  The  driver 
turned  a  faucet  at  one  end  of  the  large  cask,  and,  after  filling  two 
pails,  carried  one  in  each  hand  until  the  house  barrels  were  full, 
the  water  became  scant  before  the  regular  delivery  day,  a  little  was 
borrowed  from  a  neighbor.  In  later  years,  what  a  treat  it  was  when, 
by  turning  on  a  faucet  in  the  house,  the  water  "ran  out  of  the  wall," 
as  the  children  used  to  say.  One  may  readily  see  how  precious  were 


FLORICULTURE    OF    SAN     FRANCISCO — PAST     AND     PRESENT.          121 

the  plants  raised  under  such  difficulties,  when  every  gallon  of  water  used 
to  irrigate  them  was  very  costly. 

A  magazine  of  May  8,  1873,  contained  the  following  by  E.  S.  Carr, 
Professor  of  Agriculture  at  the  State  University:  "Botany  ought  to  be 
one  of  the  daily  studies  in  all  our  common  schools.  Our  city  parks 
should  be  so  planned  as  to  furnish  their  schools  with  essential  objects 
of  instruction,  and  every  country  schoolhouse  ought  to  have  its  shrub- 
bery and  its  garden." 

The  kindergartens  of  to-day  tend  in  every  possible  manner  to  edu- 
cate the  child  by  pleasant  means.  On  the  covers  of  his  little  books  are- 
flowers  as  natural  as  possible.  After  being  blindfolded,  he  is  asked  to 
designate  the  real  flower  by  its  perfume.  In  playing  with  colored  silks 
and  papers,  he  learns  the  colors  of  the  rainbow.  Potted  plants  decorate 
the  window-sills,  and  his  playground  is  on  grass,  under  green  trees  and 
shrubs.  From  his  childhood  up,  his  path  to  education  is  "strewn  with 
flowers"  as  well  as  with  thorns. 

There  were  no  kindergartens  for  the  children  of  California  forty 
years  ago.  The  school-grounds  were  usually  without  shrubbery.  On 
leaving  Swett's  old  school  for  the  brick  building  on  Bush  and  Stockton 
Streets,  they  welcomed  with  joy  the  new  Denman.  The  little  green 
garden  at  its  entrance  was  a  source  of  great  pride  to  them. 

The  few  illustrated  books  they  owned  were  loaned  and  read,  and 
reread,  until,  by  seeing  the  picture,  they  could  tell  its  story.  They  used 
to  lie  awake  at  night,  and,  by  candle-light,  study  the  flowers  on  the 
wall-papers  of  their  homes.  How  large  those  flowers  were,  how  gay 
their  colors,  how  they  twined  themselves  in  and  around  each  other, 
how  some  of  them  contained  faces,  how  they  all  merged  into  a  dis- 
orderly mass  of  green,  red,  and  pink,  as  the  children  fell  off  to  sleep  ? 
How  in  the  morning  by  the  sunlight  they  displayed  the  defects  invisible 
by  candle-light!  How  quickly  those  pioneer  children  got  dressed  and 
fled  to  the  fields  for  a  real,  live,  natural  bouquet  of  the  wild  mustard 
flowers !  Platt's  Hall  (where,  then,  school  exhibitions  were  held)  was 
not  decorated  with  plants  and  flowers  as  halls  of  to-day  are  beautified. 

The  home-made  bouquet  of  early  days  was  not  a  model  of  artistic 
beauty.  A  pointed  stick,  eight  or  ten  inches  long,  was  smoothly  whit- 
tled; The  stick  and  a  ball  of  twine  were  taken  to  the  simple  garden. 
Beginning  at  the  pointed  end  of  the  stick,  the  choicest  red  and  pink 
roses  were  securely  fastened.  It  was  turned  around  and  around,  the 
twine  following,  carrying  in  its  coils  gilly-flower,  mourning-brides,  and 
marigolds.  There  were  few  white  and  no  blue  flowers  or  green  border. 
When  finished  the  lower  end  of  the  stick  was  cut  off.  So  was  the 
twine,  if  any  was  left.  This  tall,  cone-shaped  bouquet,  the  colors  of 
which  were  at  war  with  one  another,  was  placed  in  a  celery  glass. 


122  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

There  were  bouquets  of  later  and  prettier  styles.  Our  early  florist, 
who  raised  flowers  in  the  suburbs  of  San  Francisco,  tied  them  in 
bunches  before  leaving  home.  Placing  them  closely  together  in  a  bas- 
ket, he  started  out  for  the  green  border.  This  he  found  in  the  vacant 
sand-lots  bounded  by  Folsom,  Valencia,  Tenth,  and  Sixteenth  Streets. 
It  was  the  low-growing  chamisal,  or  greasewood,  which  somewhat 
resembled  the  old-fashioned  box-border  plant.  These  bouquets  were 
very  unlike  the  long-stemmed,  artistic  creations  of  the  present  day, 
the  harmonious  colors  of  which  are  well  displayed  by  the  graceful 
sprays  of  the  adiantum  fern.  This  fern  is  to  the  flowers  what  lace 
is  to  human  faces,  toning  down  or  hiding  what  is  not  lovely,  while 
the  charms  of  the  beautiful  are  enhanced  by  its  use. 

As  time  wore  on,  there  were,  besides  the  little  home  gardens,  a 
few  public  gardens  in  the  then  suburbs  of  the  city, — notably  "Kuss 
Gardens"  and  the  "Willows."  Later  on,  R.  B.  Woodward  opened  his 
gardens  to  the  public.  School  exhibitions  and  crowning  of  May  queens 
took  place  in  '58  and  '60  at  Russ  Gardens.  A  little  stream,  near  which 
Avillows  grew,  a  number  of  cultivated  plants,  a  pavilion,  and  a  few 
swings  combined  in  making  this  a  lovely  resort.  Those  who  could  not 
walk  were  obliged  to  pay  twenty-five  cents  omnibus  fare. 

Another  place  where  San  Franciscans  went  on  picnics  was  located 
at  the  "Mission,"  and  was  known  as  the  "Willows."  The  hard-beaten 
path  inside  its  entrance  testified  as  to  its  attractions  for  pleasure- 
seekers.  A  large  flag  near  the  path  floated  to  the  breeze  on  holidays. 
At  the  foot  of  a  little  slope  some  scrubby  trees  were  growing.  Over 
these  trees,  blackberry  and  other  climbing  vines  grew  in  wild  luxuri- 
ance. By  separating  and  spreading  the  vines,  entrances  had  been  made 
into  natural  summer-houses.  Inside  were  stationary  tables  and  seats 
where  families  used  to  spread  their  luncheons.  The  "Willows"  has 
passed  and  gone,  and  all  that  is  left  to  remind  one  of  this-  old-time 
resort  is  a  house  on  Mission  and  Eighteenth  Streets  and  the  "Willow 
Brewery"  near  by. 

In  comparison  with  the  parks  and  gardens  of  the  present  time, 
"Russ  Gardens"  and  the  "Willows"  were  small  and  insignificant,  but 
once  they  served  to  foster  a  love  of  plants  and  flowers. 

It  was  a  surprise  to  some  when  R.  B.  Woodward,  living  on  Mission, 
between  Thirteenth  and  Fifteenth  Streets,  opened  his  gardens  to  the 
public.  "It  was  too  far  out  of  town,"  they  said.  The  live  and  stuftVd 
birds  and  animals,  the  aquarium,  and  the  music  were  not  the  onlv 
attractions.  Here  the  flower  lover  might  stroll  by  the  hour,  in  the 
gardens  and  through  the  conservatory,  and  imagine  himself  in  fairyland. 
Between  the  conservatory  and  the  picture  gallery  was  a  small  window, 
over  and  around  which  plants  and  graceful  vines  were  growing.  This 


FLORICULTURE    OF     SAN     FRANCISCO — PAST     AND     PRESENT.          123 

window,  itself  a  picture  of  tropical  plant  life,  appeared  to  separate, 
yet  join  together,  the  living  plants  and  the  men  and  women  who  died 
long  ago.  Towering  high  above  the  beds  of  lovely  flowers  was  the 
figure  of  Washington.  Long  after  all  else  had  been  removed,  that  silent 
monument  stood  guard  above  the  ground  where  young  and  old  alike 
learned  many  a  lesson  among  the  plants. 

San  Francisco,  like  Borne,  is  a  "City  of  Hills."  Although  the- 
earth  from  some  of  these  hills  assisted  in  crowding  the  waters  of  the  bay 
eastward,  hills  enough  remain  to  form  a  picturesque  landscape.  On 
Telegraph,  Eincon,  and  Eussian  Hills,  at  an  early  date,  the  people 
built  their  homes.  The  gardens  and  surroundings  once  bore  eloquent 
testimony  to  the  taste  of  the  residents.  N"ow,  the  grime  and  smoke 
and  noise  of  business  activity  in  their  vicinity,  have  driven  the  resi- 
dence portion  of  the  town  west  and  south. 

The  "City  of  the  Dead"  covers  several  of  its  western  hills,  and 
from  another  our  soldiers  guard  the  Golden  Gate.  Tbore  is  a  strikin;; 
resemblance  between  the  ."Twin  Peaks."  Although  attired  alike  in 
plain  green,  without  fringe,  frills,  or  other  trimmings,  they  have  for 
ages  held  their  heads  above  their  neighbors.  From  their  summits,  as 
well  as  from  the  summit  of  Bernal,  the  scene  is  grand  and  imposing. 

On  still  another  hill  is  a  beautiful  garden  where  cultivated  plants 
vie  with  each  other  in  color  and  form.  There  are  statues  on  the  lawns, 
under  the  trees,  and  on  the  bluffs  overlooking  the  sea.  The  poor  man, 
with  little  cost,  may  here  learn  many  lessons  from  the  flowers  while 
he  is  enjoying  the  surroundings.  The  roar  of  the  waves,  the  barking 
of  the  seals,  these  alone  remind  him  of  the  time  when  he  came  in 
through  the  Golden  Gate.  All  else  has  changed.  The  old  cliff  house 
came,  and,  like  some  of  his  dreams,  disappeared  in  smoke.  In  its 
place  there  is  now  an  imposing  structtire,  daring  the  waves  to  tear  it 
from  its  foundation. 

In  the  "Horticulturist"  of  November,  1872,  Dr.  Carr  again  says: 
"Forests  are  the  mothers  of  rivers,  the  great  regulators  of  the  distrilm-. 
tion  of  moisture;  the  economic  questions  involved  in  their  preservation 
involve  those  of  climate  and  population.  The  soil  in  many  places  has 
been  made  by  the  trees  which  grow  upon  it,  and  the  permanent  agri- 
cultural prosperity  of  a  country  must  depend  upon  the  proportion  of 
its  territory  kept  entirely  in  forests,  or  equivalent  plantations." 

To  some  extent  we  see  this  illustrated  in  the  "Sutro  Forest,"  another 
1  hill,  or  company  of  hills,  of  our  city.  One  need  go  only  a  few  yards  into 
this  forest  to  convince  himself  that  trees  produce  moisture.  Under  the 
cypress,  eucalyptus,  and  pine  trees,  of  man's  planting,  a  thick  bed  of 
decaying  foliage  has  formed.  In  it  nature  has  planted  a  fern  garden. 
The  "leaves  of  the  eucalyptus  trees  hang  vertically,  allowing  the  moisture 


124  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

to  drop  from  them  instead  of  evaporating,  as  on  horizontally-grown 
leaves.  Under  one  of  these  trees  there  is  a  cave,  the  home  of  some 
small  animal.  Over  the  entrance  is  growing  a  carpet  of  pale  green 
moss.  Here,  in  a  thallus  cradle  of  darker  green,  is  a  colony  of  young 
sulphur-back  ferns.  These  humble  members  of  the  plant  world,  in 
gratefully  accepting  the  jeweled  drops  of  moisture  from  the  tree  above, 
teach  in  silence  a  lesson  of  content. 

In  spite  of  the  obstacles  of  twenty  years  ago,  the  Golden  Gate 
Park  is  to-day  a  reality.  One  after  another  these  obstacles  have  been 
removed.  The  drifting  sands  have,  to  a  great  extent,  been  confined 
by  planting  the  yellow  lupines  and  the  thick,  strong  bunch-grass,  known 
as  Amophylla  Arrcnaria. 

The  water  supply  is  more  satisfactory  than  in  the  past.  The  scrubby 
and  irregular  native  trees  form  a  protection  and  wind-break  for  their 
more  delicate  relatives  from  abroad. 

Numerous  car  lines  have  shortened  the  distance  between  the  bay 
and  the  park.  The  city  itself  is  extending  a  hand  in  greeting,  and, 
sometime,  will  enclose  it  in  protecting  arms.  A  member  of  the  State 
Floral  Society  wrote  a  very  able  paper  on  "Wild  Flowers/'  and  sug- 
gested that  they  be  planted  and  perpetuated  in  our  public  parks.  In 
furtherance  of  this  idea,  a  few  of  the  members  of  the  society  offered 
to  send  seeds  of  wild  flowers  to  the  park  superintendent.  He  said  to 
them,  in  answer,  that  there  were  "miles  of  wild  flowers,  already,  planted 
in  the  park."  His  invitation  to  come  and  see  them  was  accepted  with 
delight.  On  April  12  of  the  present  year  the  members  were  escorted, 
for  an  hour,  between  beds  of  wild  flowers,  and  were  convinced  that  they 
would  not  become  extinct.  Blue  and  purple,  the  most  advanced  colors 
in  flower  communities,  are  well  represented  by  the  phacelia,  nemophila, 
collinsia,  and  lupine.  The  California  lilac,  or  ceanothus,  also  blue, 
was  raised  from  seed  and  then  planted  in  the  grounds.  Columbines, 
cream-cups,  and  eschscholtzias,  all  native  flowers,  grow  side  by  side 
with  rare  cultivated  flowers  from  foreign  shores,  forming  a  cosmopoli- 
tan community,  as  did  our  people  in  pioneer  days. 

Golden  Gate  Park  and  our  two  leading  universities,  of  which  Cali- 
fornians  are  very  proud,  are  well  worth  a  visit  from  tourists.  They 
present  a  fine  field  for  the  naturalist.  The  study  begun  in  our  humble 
parks  and  gardens  of  forty  years  ago  may  here  be  continued,  but 
never  finished.  The  future  possibilities  of  these  fields  of  learning  are 
almost  beyond  the  imagination  of  the  most  sanguine  lover  of  flowers, 
and  above  the  hopes  of  the  most  zealous  floriculturist. 

We  may  not  all  be  professionalists,  and  understand  the  scientific 
cultivation  of  plants.  The  amateur,  while  at  work,  may  learn  from 
the  growing  plants,  expanding  blossoms,  and  ripening  seeds,  a  vain- 


CULTIVATIOX   OF   FIELD-GROWN   ROSES.  125 

able  lesson.  He  may  also  learn  that  the  bee's  visit  to  the  flower  is 
of  equal  benefit  to  both  the  flower  and  the  insect.  The  professionalist, 
the  amateur,  the  bees,  and  the  flowers  form  a  united  band,  and  in 
assisting  each  other,  are  themselves  richly  rewarded.  A  thread,  invis- 
ible as  the  perfume  of  flowers,  binds  together  all  who  work  in  harmony 
with  nature,  and,  in  the  words  of  Burbidge,  "Among  and  around  the 
hearts  of  all  true  gardeners,  there  is  woven  a  thread  of  twisted  gold." 

All  hail  to  the  bright  green  hills  of  San  Francisco,  and  to  the 
flower-kirtled  valleys  between  them,  and  may  the  future  generations 
he  worthy  of  their  rich  inheritance. 

San  Francisco,  Gal. 


CULTIVATION  OF  FIELD-GROWN  ROSES  FOR  THE  TRADE. 

BY   JOHN   GILL. 

The  culture  of  roses  in  open  ground  varies  but  little  from  other 
nursery  stock.  The  cuttings  or  rooted  stocks  are  planted  during  the 
winter  or  early  spring  months  in  ground  that  has  been  prepared  for  that 
purpose.  They  should  be  planted  in  straight  rows  of  about  four  feet 
apart,  and  from  eight  inches  to  one  foot  apart  in  the  row;  this  allows 
ample  room  to  hoe  between  the  plants  in  the  row,  and  between  the  rows 
to  plow  and  cultivate,  which  should  be  done  in  a  most  thorough  manner 
throughout  the  season.  This  not  only  gives  the  plants  a  chance  to  make 
a  good  growth,  but  it  has  a  tendency  to  keep  that  troublesome  pest,  the 
gopher,  out,  as  he  has  very  little  use  for  well-cultivated  land. 

Roses  like  new  land;  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  try  to  take  several 
crops  off  the  same  piece  of  land,  and  it  can  not  be  done  with  good  results. 
When  grown  on  fresh  soil,  many  of  the  stronger-grown  kinds  will  make 
fine  plants  the  first  year,  but  the  slower-grown  kinds  will  take  from  two 
to  three  years  to  make  salable  plants ;  it  is  well,  also,  to  grow  them  with- 
out irrigation,  as  they  will  make  plants  which  will  give  the  purchaser 
much  better  satisfaction,  being  more  dormant  than  irrigated  stock.  They 
will  start  much  better,  and  they  can  be  grown  very  successfully  in  this 
vicinity  without  any  irrigation. 

Roses  are  mostly  started  from  cuttings  or  from  rooted  stocks  or  seed- 
lings imported  from  Europe.  When  cuttings  are  to  be  used,  they  should 
be  made  from  good  hard  wood  during  the  winter  or  early  spring  months 
and  planted  as  soon  after  as  the  ground  is  in  condition  to  receive  them. 
Imported  stocks  may  also  be  put  in  at  the  same  time. 

Two  methods  of  growing  roses  in  this  state  are  principally  used, 
namely,  on  their  own  roots  and  budded.  To  the  latter  I  wish  to  call 
especial  attention,  as  I  consider  them  by  far  superior  to  plants  grown  on 
their  own  roots,  as  it  has  a  tendency  to  make  the  weaker-grown  varieties 


126  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

much  more  vigorous,  being  worked  on  a  strong  root,  and  they  will  give 
a  great  deal  better  satisfaction. 

The  principal  stocks  used  for  budding  are  the  Manetti,  De  la  Grif- 
feraie,  Kosa  Canenni  or  Dog  Kose,  Glorie  de  Rosomones,  Castilian,  and 
the  Evergreen  stocks.  Many  of  the  growers  have  their  preferences 
regarding  the  different  varieties  of  stocks,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  the 
rose  has  its.  I  find  that  one  variety  will  do  well  on  one  stock,  while  only 
a  partial  success  on  another,  and  a  total  failure  on  a  third;  and  there 
is  no  way  by  which  their  preference  may  be  found  out  that  I  know  of 
except  by  experimenting  with  them,  and  the  same  will  take  many  months, 
if  not  years,  to  accomplish. 

I  feel  that  many  of  our  eastern  friends  in  the  trade  are  making  a  mis- 
take on  the  subject  of  grafted  roses  on  the  Manetti,  for  two  reasons : 
First,  it  is  an  indisputable  fact  that  many  of  the  tea  varieties  will  not 
make  a  good  union  on  that  stock,  much  preferring  some  other  stock.  This 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that,  although  they  often  make  a  strong  growth, 
they  are  apt  to  break  off  where  they  are  grafted  or  budded,  while  if  they  , 
are  worked  on  a  stock  which  they  prefer,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  break 
them  after  they  have  made  a  union.  Of  course,  it  must  be  understood 
that  this  does  not  apply  to  all  tea  varieties,  for  some  of  them  will  make 
an  excellent  union  on  the  Manetti,  and  for  such  varieties  I  consider  it  an 
excellent  stock.  Second,  the  Manetti  is  practically  dormant  during 
the  winter  months,  more  so  than  any  of  the  other  stocks  mentioned,  except 
the  Canenni,  and  it  must  be  expected  that  the  varieties  worked  on  it  will 
be  in  the  same  condition  to  a  certain  extent,  which  is  greatly  to  their 
detriment,  for  forcing  during  the  winter  months,  just  the  time  the  grower 
wants  flowers  and  must  have  them.  It  can  be  readily  seen  that  if  they 
were  worked  on  stocks  which  grow  freer  during  the  winter  months  they 
would  be  a  great  deal  more  preferable  for  growing  under  glass.  The 
foregoing  reasons  will  have  the  same  bearing  on  budded  stock  grown  in 
this  state,  and  not  a  small  portion  of  which  is  sold  to  florists  to  be  grown 
in  their  houses  for  cut  flowers. 

The  stocks  previously  referred  to  must  be  kept  thoroughly  cultivated 
so  as  to  be  ready  to  be  budded,  which  should  be  done  between  the  first  of 
June  and  the  first  of  October,  the  buds  to  be  inserted  close  to  the  ground 
and  thoroughly  tied.  Raffia  I  consider  the  best  tying  material.  Great 
care  must  be  taken  to  have  the  buds  well  matured,  as  it  is  a  very  difficult 
matter  to  get  a  good  stand  off  of  soft  buds ;  also  care  must  be  taken  in 
cutting  the  buds  not  to  get  the  same  mixed  in  any  way.  After  the  stocks 
have  been  budded,  little  else  is  required  to  be  done  till  the  winter,  save 
the  cutting  of  the  strings,  which  will  have  to  be  done  in  about  three  or 
four  weeks  after  budding,  according  to  the  growth  of  the  stocks.  Dur- 
ing the  winter  the  top  will  want  to  be  cut  back  to  the  bud,  and  all  the 


CULTIVATION    OF    FIELD-GROWN   EOSES.  127 

weeds  carefully  removed  before  the  buds  begin  to  start,  or  there  will  be 
great  danger  of  breaking  the  young  buds  off,  and  the  ground  should  be 
thoroughly  worked  as  soon  as  it  becomes  dry  enough  to  permit. 

As  soon  as  the  warm  weather  begins,  the  buds  will  start  readily  and 
make  a  very  strong,  vigorous  growth,  and  during  the  month  of  May  will 
be  a  sight  worth  looking  at  and  long  to  be  remembered. 

The  roses  so  grown  should  have  no  irrigation  whatever,  allowing  them 
to  dry  off  naturally  after  having  made  their  summer's  growth.  They  will 
be  ready  for  transplanting  any  time  after  the  first  of  September,  in  fact, 
often  before  that. '  The  forcing  varieties  so  grown  can  not  be  excelled  for 
greenhouse  culture.  Flowers  may  be  cut  from  them  in  about  six  weeks 
after  planting,  and  will  continue  to  bloom  through  the  season,  giving  the 
very  finest  quality  of  flowers;  in  fact,  they  may  be  carried  over  for 
several  years  with  excellent  results.  For  general  sales,  the  handling  of 
roses  begins  about  the  first  of  November  or  as  soon  as  the  wet  weather 
begins,  and  lasts  till  about  the  first  of  March. 

In  handling  roses  care  must  be  taken  to  give  them  all  the  roots  pos- 
sible, and  precaution  must  be  taken  against  getting  the  varieties  mixed, 
for  it  is  difficult  for  one  who  is  not  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  looks 
of  the  wood  to  separate  them ;  in  fact,  in  some  cases  it  is  utterly  impos- 
sible. Care  must  be  taken  not  to  expose  the  roots  to  the  sun  or  drying 
wind  any  more  than  possible,  for  if  they  once  get  dried  out  it  will  take 
a  long  time  to  recover  from  the  effects  of  the  same.  After  being  dug, 
all  the  leaves  should  be  removed,  as  they  will  only  wither  on  the  plants, 
and  give  them  a  bad  appearance;  then  they  should  be  tied  in  bundles, 
carefully  labeled,  and  after  puddling  the  roots  they  will  be  ready  for 
packing  and  shipping.  In  handling  the  roses  a  great  difference  may  be 
seen  between  budded  plants  and  those  on  their  own  roots.  The  former 
will  have  a  great  quantity  of  active  roots,  while  the  latter  will  have, 
in  most  cases,  only  two  or  three  straggly  ones,  and  will  not  start  grow- 
ing for  the  purchaser  nearly  as  soon  or  as  vigorously  as  the  budded 
stock,  and  will  not  give  satisfaction  for  a  long  time  to  come,  if  at  all. 

At  this  point  I  wish  to  speak  of  the  two  principal  objections  to 
budded  stock.  The  first  is  suckers,  but  if  the  same  have  been  worked 
on  carefully-prepared  stocks  and  properly  planted,  there  will  be  little 
cause  to  complain  from  that  source.  The  other  objection  is  to  their 
not  doing  well,  but  of  this  we  hear  little.  The  principal  cause  of  this 
is  either  being  worked  on  inferior  stocks  or  not  on  the  right  variety,  but 
to  this  I  have  previously  referred. 

The  varieties  of  roses  grown  are  almost  endless  in  number,  some  of 
the  nurseries  carrying  between  three  and  four  hundred  varieties  in 
stock ;  but  for  many  of  these  there  is  but  little  call.  By  far  the  heaviest 
demand  is  for  the  varieties  now  so  extensively  forced  under  glass,  which 


128  PACIFIC   STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

we  see  so  beautifully  and  extensively  displayed  in  our  florists'  windows, 
and,  of  course,  all  lovers  of  flowers  must  have  them  in  their  yards. 
These  varieties  principally  are  the  Bride,  Bridesmaid,  Madame  Caroline 
Testout,  K.  A.  Victoria,  American  Beaut}',  Papa  Gontier,  La  France, 
Perle  des  Jardins,  Souv  de  President  Carnot,  and  Belle  Siebrecht,  all 
of  which  will  give  excellent  results  outside  in  this  vicinity.  Other  very 
popular  varieties  for  general  planting  are  Saf  rano,  Eainbow,  Mphetos, 
Sunset,  White  La  France,  Marie  Van  Houtte,  Madame  Lambard,  Maman 
Cochet,  Madame  Hoste,  Emperor  de  Moroc,  Paul  Neyron,  Isabella 
Sprunt,  and  Viscountesse  Folkestone ;  in  fact,  it  is  hard  for  me  to  bring 
this  list  to  a  close,  as  there  are  so  many  favorites.  In  climbers  there 
are  Marechal  Kiel,  La  Marque,  Cloth  of  Gold,  Climbing  La  France, 
Climbing  Niphetos,  Climbing  Perle,  Glorie  de  Dijon,  Glorie  de  Margot- 
ion,  Reve  d'Or,  Reine  Marie  Henrietta,  Wm.  Allen  Richardson,  Bank- 
sias,  and  Beauty  of  Glazenwood. 

The  last  named  is  a  beautiful  thing  when  it  gets  several  years' 
growth  on  it.  The  hybrid  perpetuals  and  mosses  I  have  almost  excluded 
from  the  list,  as  the  call  for  them  is  limited.  Crimson  Rambler  is 
now  used  very  extensively  as  a  pot  plant  for  forcing  for  Easter.  There 
are  other  exceptionally  fine  old  varieties  which  are  practically  unknown 
to  the  rose  lover  of  to-day,  and  which  should  be  in  every  collection,  such 
as  Adam,  Souvenir  d'un  Amie,  Eliza  Savage,  Bougcre,  La  Sylphide, 
Shirley  Hibbard,  Madame  Willermoz,  Rubens,  Devoniensis,  and  many 
others  that  I  might  mention. 

The  demand  for  field-grown  roses  Avas  never  greater  than  it  is  at 
the  present  time;  in  fact,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get  a  list  of  any  size 
of  the  popular  varieties  from  any  of  the  principal  growers  late  in  the 
season,  they  being  sold  out  of  most  of  them.  One  reason  for  this  is  that 
the  trade,  that  is,  I  mean  the  retail  dealers,  are  fast  learning  that  they 
can  buy  a  much  larger  and  stronger  plant  for  less  money  than  they  pos- 
sibly can  grow  it  for  in  their  small  yards,  to  say  nothing  of  the  better 
isfaction  it  will  give  their  customers.  Also,  that  the  small  roses 

rrown  m  the  east  and  sent  out  here  by  mail  at  seemingly  a  very  small 
:e  have  proven  to  be  anything  but  satisfactory,  and  dear  at  any  price, 

is  very  few  of  them  live  or  ever  give  satisfaction,  and  the  general  rose 
buyers  are  fast  learning  that  they  are  not  to  be  compared  with  thor- 
oughly-ripened California  field-grown  stock.     Another  reason  is  that 
'  can  grow  any  of  the  tender  sorts  here  without  any  protection,  which 
>t  be  done  in  any  other  state;  hence  our  market  is  not  confined  to 
state  alone,  but  they  are  shipped  over  the  entire  coast,  and  I  think 
e  time  not  far  distant  when  they  will  he  grown  here  in  large  quanti- 
ty for  the  eastern  market,  for  already  many  have  been  shipped  there. 

There  are  also  a  great  many  used  for  greenhouse  forcing,  as  I  have  pre- 


FLORICULTURE     IN     SAX    DIEGO.  129 

In  conclusion  I  would  say  that  in  order  that  the  demand  for  field- 
grown  roses  may  continue,  strictly  first-class  stock  must  be  put  on  the 
market,  and  the  same  at  a  fair  and  reasonable  figure. 

West  Berkeley,  Gal 


FLORICULTURE    IN    SAN    DIEGO. 

BY     MISS   KATE   0.    SESSIONS. 

San  Diego  is  situated  so  far  from  any  larger  place,  and  so  in  the 
extreme  corner  of  the  state,  beyond  which  only  sea,  mountain,  and 
unsettled  Mexico  lie,  that  her  flower  trade  has  thus  far  been  prac- 
tically only  a  local  one;  but  during  the  past  twelve  years  four  florists 
have  established  themselves  in  business,  three  of  whom  are  women,  and 
who  had  not  any  previous  training  or  experience  in  this  line  of  work. 
The  demands  of  the  trade  are  of  two  sorts, — the  trade  with  the  per- 
manent residents,  and  that  with  the  tourist  and  winter  visitor.  The 
latter  supply  about  one-third  of  the  entire  trade,  though  they  remain 
in  our  city  but  about  three  months. 

It  would'  be  at  first  supposed  that  in  a  place  where  water  has  been 
rather  scarce,  rainfall  light,  soil  uncultivated,  and  native  trees  and 
shrubbery  about  the  city  wanting,  the  florist  business  might  be  more 
extensive  than  where  conditions  for  general  gardening  were  more 
favorable;  but  I  believe  the  business  is  not  as  large  as  in  other  cities 
of  equal  size  or  wealth.  San  Diego  is  not  a  city  of  wealth,  and  though 
a  large  number  of  her  citizens  are  people  of  means  and  leisure  and 
independence,  they  live  a  very  quiet  life,  and  their  wants  for  flowers 
are  constant,  but  very  modest,  compared  with  the  demands  of  similar 
citizens  of  an  eastern  city  or  San  Francisco.  Again,  the  continual 
sunshine,  soft  and  balmy  air,  reduces  the  demand  for  flowers.  Nearly 
^verybody  can  be  out-of-doors  every  day,  and  are  out  walking,  driving, 
golfing,  or  gardening.  Most  of  the  residents  are  from  the  east,  and 
all  flowers  attract  them,  and  the  florist  is  not  called  upon  to  produce 
flowers  that  are  difficult  of  culture. 

The  greatest  demand  is  from  December  to  April,  and  as  there  are 
no  flowers  grown  beneath  glass,  the  conditions  of  the  weather  deter- 
mine the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  flower  supply.  Weeks  of  bright 
and  dry  days  are  glorious  for  the  traveler  in  January  arid  February, 
but  are  most  trying  on  budding  roses  and  spring  bulbous  stock  that 
loves  coolness  and  moisture,  though  the  carnation  revels  in  the  bright, 
dry  air,  if  its  roots  are  well  irrigated. 

The  winter  visitors  are  not  as  liberal  in  purchasing  flowers  as  might 
be  expected.  They  anticipate  southern  California  as  a  land  of  sun- 


130  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

shine  and  flowers,  and  as  they  appear  to  be  abundant,  they  expect  them  to 
be  very  cheap.  Because  there  is  no  frost,  rain,  or  wind,  and  only  sun- 
shine in  January  (as  occurred  this  past  winter),  they  can  not  realize 
that  the  winter-time  here  is  the  resting  season  for  our  plants,  the  same  ' 
as  with  their  own  in  the  east  or  middle  west.  It  is  not  necessary  for 
the  snow  to  fall  for  a  plant  to  know  when  to  take  its  rest. 

Then,  again,  a  few  days  of  wind  or  rain  will  often  spoil  a  great  many 
blossoms  that  are  just  developing.  It  is  often  with  difficulty  that 
the  supply  of  flowers  of  a  good  quality  can  be  kept  up  steadily,  and 
so  the  quality  and  quantity  are  variable,  and  the  florist  is  liable  to  many 
trials  and  much  vexation  during  the  best  business  season.  A  small 
part  of  the  tourist  trade  is  willing  to  pay  well  for  the  quality  they 
admire,  and  have  been  accustomed  to,  but  as  yet  that  class  of  trade 
does  not  warrant  the  necessary  expenditure  to  meet  the  demand. 

I  think  a  conservative  estimate  will  place  the  gross  sales  of  the 
florist  trade  at  San  Diego  and  Coronado  at  about  ten  thousand  dollars, 
but  the  amount  of  stock  handled  is  four  or  five  times  what  that 
amount  of  trade  represents  in  San  Francisco. 

Three  of  the  local  florists  grow  their  own  flowers  and  plants,  so 
their  business  and  interests  are  divided  between  the  sale  and  arrange- 
ment and  the  growing  of  the  flowers.  This,  of  course,  makes  it  more 
difficult.  The  Coronado  Beach  Company  maintain  a  nursery,  and 
grow  principally  all  flowers  used  extensively  by  the  hotel  for  its  own 
decoration,  and  during  the  winter  a  sales-stand  is  conducted  within 
the  hotel. 

Los  Angeles  does  not  grow  winter  flowers  of  a  quality  superior  to 
those  of  San  Diego,  and  so  there  is  no  advantage  gained  by  shipping 
from  that  city.  What  we  have  is  better  than  we  can  import  after  the 
wear  and  tear  of  transportation  are  considered.  San  Francisco  is  there- 
fore the  only  purchasing  market  for  a  better  quality  of  flowers,  and 
the  great  distance  and  very  careless  packing  (which  I  have  never  yet 
been  able  to  overcome)  make  every  attempt  at  receiving  good  flowers 
from  San  Francisco  almost  a  total  disappointment  (lilies-of-the-valley 
excepted) . 

There  is  no  outlet  for  the  surplus  stock  of  San  Diego  in  spring, 
summer,  or  fall.  The  surrounding  towns  and  villages  practically  ask 
for  nothing.  The  towns  of  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  and  Texas  are 
nearer  to  Los  Angeles.  A  great  change  will  come  about  for  the  florist 
and  the  flower  business  just  as  soon  as  a  railroad  outlet  directly  east 
is  secured.  This  railroad  will,  within  fifty  miles  of  our  city,  cross  a 
mountain  range  whose  climate  is  varied.  There  is  an  abundance  of 
wood,  water,  summer  rains,  fertile  soils,  and  frosty  nights.  Then  at 
the  right  altitude  will  be  established  nurseries  for  the  growing  of 


FLORICULTURE     IX     SAX    DIEGO.  131 

roses  beneath  glass,  ferneries,  and  palm-houses,  fields  for  spring  bulbs 
and  flowering  shrubs.  All  degrees  and  conditions  of  climate  necessary 
can  be  found  within  this  short  distance  for  growing  as  good  flowers 
as  are  found  throughout  central  California. 

Then  there  can  be  shipped  to  San  Diego  flowers  of  excellent  qual- 
ity, in  perfect  condition,  in  an  hour  or  two;  while  Arizona,  New  Mex- 
ico, and-  western  Texas  will  always  be  excellent  customers,  for  we  can 
do  better  by  them  than  Los  Angeles  is  doing  now.  San  Diego  growers 
will  become  expert  shippers,  and  just  as  the  packing  of  the  fruit  of 
southern  California  is  now  so  important  a  question  to  her  commerce, 
San  Diego  will  not  be  the  last  station  along  the  line,  but  will  be  a 
main  depot  for  supplies  along  a  very  prosperous  highway,  and  at  some 
floral  congress  five  years  hence  (and  I  hope  less)  some  one  can  praise 
the  quality  as  well  as  the  variety  of  the  floral  products. 

There  is  a  sweet  recompense  and  a  feast  for  eyes  even  to-day  in 
our  little  sunshiny  city.  There  the  graceful  cocoa  palms  in  variety 
can  wave  their  fringed  leaves  forty  feet  on  high.  The  beautiful  and 
stately-growing  palm  Kentia  Fosteriana  will  in  ten  years  be  fifty  feet 
high,  and  always  in  blossom  and  ripening  fruit  continually.  Our 
Christinas  windows  can  be  filled  with  the  blazing  poinsettia  as  easily 
as  yours  can  be  filled  with  marguerites  and  oak  branches.  The  glorious 
terra  cotta  Bougainvillea  climbs  to  our  house-tops  on  a  *outh  side  in 
three  to  five  years  with  a  blaze  of  color  that  can  never  be  developed  on 
a  plant  under  glass,  and  continues  full  of  bloom  the  winter  through, 
and  then  is  again  ablaze  in  spring  and  summer. 

The  rich  and  luxuriant  blooming  Bignonia  venusta  festoons  itself 
from  fence-top  to  tree-top,  from  shed-top  to  housetop,  all  during  the 
months  from  December  to  March. 

Quisqualis  indica,  a  petted  vine  of  the  Golden  Gate  conservatory, 
thrives  and  blooms  during  the  summer  in  a  favored  spot  to  the  east. 
Cacti  in  all  their  glory  of  spine  and  flower  can  be  cultivated  success- 
fully apart  from  the  alkali  sands  and  barren  lands  and  heat  of  Arizona 
and  Mexico,  and  the  carnation  develops  with  care  to  almost  the  per- 
fection of  your  house-grown  flowers  on  the  very  shores  of  the  Pacific. 
San  Diego  is  a  place  of  exceptional  opportunities  that  for  the  time  has 
but  very  slowly  developed,  but  she  can  show  you  specimens  that  will 
win  your  hearts  and  make  them  glad  and  keep  you  forever  her  friend 
if  you  will  but  come  and  see  her. 

San  Diego,  Col. 


132  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

THE    BEGONIA. 
f 

BY    P.    BEVERIDGE    KENNEDY. 
HISTORY. 

The  genus  Begonia  was  named  by  Plumier,  in  honor  of  Michael 
Begon,  a  French  governor  of  San  Domingo,  about  250  years  ago. 
Linnajus  introduced  it  into  the  first  edition  of  his  "Genera  Plantarum," 
about  1752,  among  Fragmenta,  and  it  was  not  until  the  thirteenth  edi- 
tion of  his  "Systema  Vegetabilum"  that  it  was  given  a  place  in  his  sys- 
tem. Plumier,  in  his  work,  "Nova  Plantarum  Americanarum  Genera" 
described  six  species  of  begonia,  but  the  descriptions  were  so  imperfect 
that  they  were  of  no  use  for  identification. 

Linnaeus,  never  having  seen  a  begonia  but  only  these  descriptions 
of  Plumier,  placed  all  the  six  species  of  Plunder's  under  one  species, 
Begonia  obliqua,  in  his  Species  Plantarum.  These  included  all  the 
begonias  known  at  that  time. 

Although  Sloane,  Eumph,  Lamarck,  and  Jacquin  all  mentioned  the 
begonia  in  their  works,  it  was  left  to  Dryander  to  show,  for  the  first 
time,  any  true  light  on  the  different  species.  In  the  first  volume  of 
the  "Transactions  of  the  Linnsean  Society,"  in  1879,  he  describes 
twenty-one  species,  eleven  from  South  America,  seven  from  India,  and 
three  from  Africa.  Nothing  of  importance  was  accomplished  in  the 
further  classifying  of  begonias  until  Klotzsch,  in  1855,  in  an  admir- 
able work  entitled  "Begoniaceen  Gattungen  und  Arten,"  monographed 
all  the  dried  and  living  begonias  in  the  Berlin  botanical  gardens. 
He  was  confronted  by  two  difficulties:  First,  the  flower  parts  of 
begonias  are  so  very  delicate  that  boiling  dried  specimens  ruins  them. 
Second,  the  identification  of  horticultural  hybrids.  The  following 
appeared  to  him  to  be  true  of  hybrid  begonias:  Hybrids  are  stronger 
growers ;  they  blossom  more  freely ;  the  male  blossoms  fall  sooner,  even 
before  being  opened;  the  number  of  petals  varies;  the  stamens  are  fre- 
quently imperfect,  and  tend  to  develop  into  petals;  the  pollen  grains 
vary  from  that  of  pure  species  in  being  thinner,  longer,  and  weaker, 
or  entirely  impotent.  Klotzsch  described  194  different  species  and 
hybrids,  which  included  all  the  dried  and  living  material  known  at 
that  time.  He  entirely  revised  the  whole  classification,  dividing  the 
one  genus  Begonia  into  forty-one  genera,  but  retaining  the  specific 
names. 

The  last  great  important  work  from  a  systematic  standpoint  is  that 

De  Candolle  in  his  Prodromus,  published  in  1864.     Here  we  find 

374  species  and    hybrids    described,   while    Klotzsch    had    only    195. 


THE    BEGONIA.  133 

'Although  De  Candolle  divides  the  genus  into  sections,  yet  he  retains 
the  name  Begonia  for  all.  He  considers  the  following  characters  as 
essential,  and,  although  his  characters  are  not  those  of  Klotzsch,  the 
final  divisions  are  identical  with  those  of  the  latter. 

1.  The  number  of  petals  in  the  flower  is  of  little  importance  in 
the  male,  but  more  so  in  the  female. 

2.  The  form  of  dehiscence  of  the  anthers. 

3.  The  number  of  styles,  when  taken  in  connection  with  other  char- 
acters of  the  capsule. 

4.  The  persistence  or  non-persistence  of  the  style. 

5.  The  form  of  the  style  and  the  stigmatic  surfaces. 

6.  The    division  of  the   placentae. 

7.  The   dehiscence   of  the   capsule.  » 

PLACE    IN    THE    VEGETABLE    KINGDOM. 

The  genus  Begonia  has  been  referred  to  eighteen  different  families. 
No  other  order  seems  to  stand  out  so  distinctly  by  itself  without  any 
apparent  affinity  to  other  orders.  Twenty  different  botanists  who  have 
written  the  great  systematic  works,  place  the  order  Begoniaceae  in  fif- 
teen different  relationships.  The  majority  of  the  earlier  botanists  have 
placed  the  order  near  the  Polygonaceae,  some  of  the  others  placing  it 
near  the  Eupliorbiaceae,  Chenopodiaceae,  Onagraceae.  Cactaceae,  Um- 
belliferae,  and  Saxifragaceae. 

The  later  botanists,  however, — Vines,  Warming, .  Engler,  and 
Prante, — place  the  order  near  the  Cucurbitaceae.  It  appears  to  the 
writer,  however,  that  the  immediate  relationship  can  not  be  found  in 
the  now-existing  flora. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

Begonias  may  be  divided  into  thr.ee  geographical  divisions, — Amer- 
ican, Asiatic,  and  African.  They  are  very  much  localized  in  their 
habitats,  in  which  they  resemble  orchids  and  are  distributed  in  the 
warmer  and  moister  parts  of  the  world,  being  found  most  abundant 
in  Mexico,  Central  and  South  America,  the  Himalaya  Mountains,  in 
India,  and  a  few  in  South  Africa.  The  only  species  that  are  widely 
distributed  are  B.  scandens,  which  is  found  in  Jamaica,  Guiana,  Peru, 
and  Costa  Eica;  and  B.  laciniata,  which  is  found  from  the  mountains 
of  Sikkim  in  the  Himalayas  to  the  islands  of  Hongkong.  Their  very 
localized  distribution  is  said  to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the  plants  grow 
mostly  in  warm,  shady  places,  free  from  winds  and  other  agencies  for 
distributing  seeds. 

As  the  seeds  of  the  begonia  are  very  small  and  delicate,  this,  also, 
may  considerably  restrict  their  distribution. 


134  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

STRUCTURE    OF    PLANT. 

The  leaf  of  the  begonia  is  characteristically  oblique  in  shape,  but 
varies  in  size,  thickness;  covering,  and  marginations  to  a  very  consider- 
able degree.  The  male  and  female  flowers  are  produced  on  the  same 
plant,  but  on  separate  cymes.  The  female  flower  consists  of  five  petals, 
of  nearly  equal  size,  two  to  four  styles,  with  branched  or  twisted  stigmas 
like  a  corkscrew,  and  the  stigmas  covered  with  a  spiral  of  short  hairs. 
The  ovary  consists  of  a  capsule  which  has  three  more  or  less  developed 
wings.  The  male  flower  is  usually  composed  of  two  small,  narrow,  and 
two  large,  ovate  petals,  and  numerous  stamens,  free  or  united  at  the 
base. 

INTRODUCTION     OF     HORTICULTURAL     VARIETIES — 1777-1894, 

The  first  species  of  begonia  introduced  into  the  British  greenhouses 
is  said  to  have  been  B.  nitida,  Dry.,  which  was  obtained  from  Jamaica 
by  the  Royal  Gardens  at  Kew,  in  1777.  Ten  years  later,  another 
species  similar  to  B.  nitida,  viz.,  B.  suaveol&ns,  was  introduced  from 
San  Domingo,  and  first  cultivated  by  Messrs.  Lee  and  Kennedy,  of 
Hammersmith,  near  London,  England. 

In  1814  we  find  that  there  were  only  nine  species  known  in  gardens. 
These  were  B.  nitida,  suaveolens,  acuminata,  dichotoma,  discolor,  Jiir- 
suta,  humilis,  macropliylla,  and  Evansiana.  Up  to  1850  we  find  the 
number  has  increased  to  thirty-six,  including  many  species  that  are 
well  known  and  cultivated  at  the  present  time,  such  as  semperflorens, 
incarnata,  sanguined,  rubra,  fuchsioides,  and  metallica.  The  next  ten 
years  marks  the  introduction  of  the  progenitors  of  the  Rex  begonias 
in  B.  Rex,  with  its  associates  B.  Griff  itlii,  laciniata,  and  xantliina,  from 
India.  The  great  popularity  of  the  begonia  in  England  began  with  the 
introduction  of  B.  boliviensis,  in  1864,  from  Bolivia,  a  large,  scarlet- 
flowered,  tuberous  variety.  Soon  followed  Pearcei,  Veitchii,  Clarkii, 
Davissii,  and  rosaeflora,  whose  progeny  now  number  many  hundreds 
of  varieties  in  all  shades  of  color. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  and  somewhat  recent  introductions  is 
that  of  B.  socotrana.  It  was  discovered  by  Alexander  Scott,  the  gar- 
dener accompanying  the  expedition  to  Socotra  sent  out  by  the  Geo- 
graphical Society  of  London. 

Professor  Bayley  Balfour,  of  Glasgow,  sent  the  plant  to  Kew  in 
1880.  As  the  island  of  Socotra,  off  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  is  dry, 
burning  hot,  and  sandy,  it  is  rather  remarkable  that  a  begonia  should 
be  found  growing  there.  The  root-stock  consists  of  numerous  fleshy 
buds,  clustered  together,  each  one  resembling  a  tuber  but  lacking  solid- 
ity. On  this  account  it  has  been  placed  in  a  separate  section  by  itself, 
now  known  as  the  semi-tuberous  section,  and  has  recently  been  crossed 


THE    BEGONIA.  135 

on  the  one  side  with  the  fibrous-rooted  section,  giving  us  such  mag- 
nificent begonias  as  Gloire  de  Sceaux,  Gloire  de  Lorraine,  and  Triomphe 
de  Lemoine ;  and  on  the  other  side  with  the  tuberous  section,  giving  rise 
to  the  pretty  one-sexed  varieties,  John  Heal,  Adonis,  Winter  Gem,  Julia, 
Ensign,  and  Myra.  Between  the  years  1880  and  1894,  through  the 
efforts  of  Messrs.  Haage  and  Schmidt,  of  Germany,  and  Bruant,  of 
France,  many  excellent  begonias  were  introduced.  Among  them  we 
find  B.  Haageana,  Scharffiana,  Credneri,  Schmidiiana,  and  Erfordii. 

A  begonia  that  is  likely  to  prove  interesting,  if  crossed  with  the 
tuberous  varieties,  was  introduced  in  1890.  It  is  B.  Baumannii.  The 
seed  was  sent  to  Herr  Baumann,  of  Bolwiller,  in  1886,  by  its  discoverer, 
Dr.  Sacc,  from  Cochabamba,  in  Bolivia.  It  is  described  as  plentiful 
in  the  moist  valleys  of  the  Cordilleras,  where  it  is  eaten  by  cattle.  The 
plant  is  said  to  be  of  easy  culture  and  to  be  in  flower  nine  months  of  the 
year.  The  most  remarkable  thing  about  it  is  that  it  has  a  very  sweet 
perfume,  being  the  only  known  tuberous  variety  to  give  off  any  odor. 
It  is  also  said  to  he  well  suited  to  house  culture.  This  begonia  was 
distributed  by  Lemoine,  of  France,  in  1890,  but  unfortunately  it  is 
rarely  seen  in  America. 

Otto  Froebel,  of  Zurich,  Switzerland,  for  whom  the  pretty,  brilliant, 
scarlet-flowered,  tuberous  variety  B.  Froebeli  was  named,  has  intro- 
duced a  number  of  remarkable  forms,  such  as  B.  Mont  Blanc,  the 
first  erect-flowered,  bulbous  begohia  sent  out  in  1876.  In  the  Swiss 
Gardener's  Almanac  for  1895  are  to  be  found  all  the  begonias  introduced 
and  sent  out  by  him,  but  the  writer  has  so  far  been  unable  to  secure 
a  copy. 

BEGONIAS   OF   AMERICAN    TNTRODUCTIOX. 

The  species  and  varieties  so  far  mentioned  have  all  been  of  European 
introduction.  Let  us  now  for  a  few  minutes  look  into  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  begonias  by  American  florists.  Perhaps  the  best  known  is 
B.  Feastii,  a  cross  between  B.  manicata  and  Uydrocotylifolia,  which 
was  introduced  by  John  Feast,  of  Baltimore,  about  1880.  Another 
interesting  species  is  B.  Sauli,  named  after  one  of  the  oldest  nursery- 
men and  florists  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  John  Saul  (now  deceased). 
The  seed  was  sent  to  him  from  Guatemala,  in  1894.  The  plant  proved 
to  bo  like  5.  Feastii,  but  differed  from  it  in  having  a  distinct  red 
sinus  at  the  junction  of  the  petiole  and  leaf.  This  neat  little  begonia 
is  well  worthy  of  extensive  cultivation,  and  should  appear  in  every 
florist's  catalogue: 

A  few  years  ago,  E.  G.  Hill  &  Co.,  of  Kichmond,  Ind.,  introduced 
B.  coronata,  a  cross  between  carolinaefoUa  and  polyantha.  It  is  a 
strong-growing  hybrid,  with  large-lobed  leaves  and  pale  pink,  drooping 


136  I'ACIFJC    STATES    FLORAL    COXURESS. 

clusters  of  flowers.  A  number  of  varieties  of  B.  semperflorens  hav"? 
also  been  introduced  by  this  firm,  viz.,  Albatross,  Elegantissima,  Maste- 
donte,  Goliath,  and  Obelisquc,  as  well  as  several  varieties  of  the  Rex  type, 
which  were  crosses  between  B.  diadema,  and  varioiis  varieties  of  Rex, 
viz.,  Mrs.  A.  G.  Sheperd,  Perl  Humfeld,  Bertha  McGregor,  Elsie  Coles, 
Mrs.  E.  Banner^  and  Annie  Dorner.  B.  Gilsoni  is  of  American  origin, 
and  is  interesting  on  account  of  its  being  the  only  double-flowered, 
fibrous-rooted  begonia.  Whether  it  is  a  species  or  hybrid  is  not  known. 
It  is  said  to  have  been  named  in  compliment  to  Gilson,  a  colored  gar- 
dener to  Mrs.  Livingston,  of  New  York,  more  than  ten  years  ago. 

There  is  a  Mr.  John  Coulson,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  gardener  to  the 
Hon.  Stephen  Salisbury,  who  knows  begonias  better  than  any  other 
man  the  writer  is  acquainted  with.  He  has  undoubtedly  produced 
many  new  hybrids,  and  has  in  his  possession  many  of  the  old  species 
that  are  seldom  seen  now,  but  he  has  not,  to  my  knowledge,  given  any 
of  his  information  to  the  press. 

The  begonias  in  cultivation  may  be  roughly  divided  into  four  sec- 
tions or  groups,  as  follows:— 

1.  Fibrous-rooted   or    winter-flowering. 

2.  Semi-tuberous,  or  socotrana. 

3.  Tuberous,  or  summer-flowering. 

4.  Rex,  or  ornamental-leaved. 

The  fibrous-rooted  section  may  be  divided  into  two  large  divisions, 
according  to  their  leaves. 

(a)  Leaves  hairy,  velvety,  or  downy  on  the  upper  surface. 

(b)  Leaves  smooth  or  only  a  few  scattered  hairs  on  the  upper  sur- 
face or  on  the  margins. 

FIBROUS-ROOTED      SECT!  OX. 

To  the  first  division  belong  such  varieties  as  Scharffiana,  Duchartrei, 
ftaageana,  echinosepala,  Credneri,  Schmidtiana,  Margaritae,  metallica, 
hydrocotylifolm.  imperial^,  peltata,  ricinifolia,  platanifolia,  digitata, 
subpeltata  nigricam,  Pres.  de  Boureilles,  ulmifolia;  and  to  the  second 
division,  incarnata.  foliosa.  albo-picta,  scandens,  manicata.  glaucophylla. 
albo-coc-cinea,  semperflorens,  with  its  many  varieties,  phyllomaniaca, 
nitida,  and  its  hybrids,  Dregei,  W  eltoniensis,  coronata.  Verscliaffeltiana, 
maculata,  including  var.  argyrostigma  picta,  coccinea,  goegonsis,  san- 
gmnea,  daedalea,  heraclei folia,  and  varieties  rubella,  speculata,  olbia. 
Teuscheri,  argenteo-guttata,  abundance,  Ameliae,  angularis,  Ascotiensis, 
Bertha  de  Chateaurocher,  Bijou  de  Gand,  Bismarcki,  carolineafolia, 
Carrieri,  Corbeille  de  Feu,  diadema,  Erfordii,  Feastii,  Sauli,  Gilsoni, 
hybrida-multiflora,  Ingrami,  Knowlsleyana.  Kunthiana,  Lubbersi,  Lu- 
cianae,  Lyncheana,  Mad.  de  Lesseps,  nelumbifolia,  Paul  Bruant,  Presi- 


THE    BEGONIA.  137 

dent  Carnot,  Sandersoni  stigmosa,  Thurstoni,  Sunderbruchi,  Wett- 
steinii,  zebrina,  Pond  Lily,  Souvenir  de  F.  Gaulin,  undulata,  decora 
Uhinkii. 

DESCRIPTION    OF    SPECIES    AND    VARIETIES. 

Taking  them  up  in  the  order  named,  we  find  that  B.  Scharffiana, 
Kegel,  was  introduced  from  Brazil,  by  Haage  and  Schmidt,  in  1889. 

Scharffiana. — It  has  large,  thick,  fleshy,  hairy  leaves,  which  are 
oliVe  green  above  and  crimson  below.  The  flowers  are  waxy  white,  and 
hang  in  clusters  resembling  those  of  the  calceolaria.  A  plant  has  been 
grown  at  Kew  a  yard  through.  It  sometimes  takes  a  resting  period, 
partially  dying  off,  and  requires  warmth  and  care  to  succeed  well. 
When  well  grown,  it  is  an  excellent  bracket  plant. 

Duchartrei. — B.  Duchartrei,  Hort.,  is  a  hybrid  between  B.  echino- 
sepala  and  Scharffiana,  and  was  introduced  by  Bruant,  in  1892. 
Like  Scharffiana,  the  leaves  are  green  above  and  red  below.  The  flow- 
ers are  waxy  white,  with  a  few  red  hairs  on  the  under  surface  of  the 
petals.  Although  the  plant  will  grow  under  ordinary  conditions,  yet  it 
requires  warmth  and  care  in  order  to  branch  profusely  and  flourish. 

Haageana. — B.  Haageana,  Watson  (B.  Scharffi,  Hook.),  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  peninsula  of  Destierra,  in  South  Brazil,  and  was  intro- 
duced by  Haage  and  Schmidt,  in  1889.  The  leaves  are  about  a  foot 
long,  dark  green  above,  and  crimson  on  the  under  side.  The  flower- 
stems  are  about  a  foot  long,  and  branch  into  enormous  cymes  of  pink 
flowers,  eight  to  twelve  inches  in  diameter.  The  stems,  capsules,  and 
under  side  of  the  petals,  are  covered  with  long,  red  hairs.  The  species 
is  closely  allied  to  B.  metallica  and  B.  ecliinosepala,  and  has  already 
been  crossed  with  both  these  species.  The  plant  displays  its  beauty  best 
when  two  years  old,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  species 
in  the  genus.  In  the  months  of  December  and  January  no  con- 
servatory should  be  without  this  exceedingly  beautiful  begonia. 

Credneri. — B.  Credneri,  Hort.,  is  a  variety  originated  by  hybridizing 
B.  Scharffiana  and  B.  metallica,  and  was  introduced  by  Haage  and 
Schmidt,  in  1891.  There  is  another  plant,  named  B.  Credneri,  which 
was  raised  by  Lemoine,  in  1891,  three  months  later,  from  the  same 
parents.  Bruant  a]so  used  these  two  parents  in  1891,  and  called  his 
plant  B.  Pictaviensis.  All  the  above  varieties  have  been  grown  by  the 
writer,  and  they  appear  to  be  identical.  It  is  very  similar  to  B.  Haao- 
eana,  but  has  smaller  flowers  and  erect  flower  stems,  not  gracefully 
bending  over  as  in  Haageana. 

Pictavensis. — rThere  is  still  another  plant,  spelled  B.  Pictavensis, 
which  was  raised  by  Bruant,  in  1881,  a  cross  between  B.  Schmidtmna 
and  B.  semperflorens.  This  plant  is  now  appropriately  called  B. 
Bruanti  in  most  catalogues. 


138  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

Metallica. — B.  metallica,  G.  Smith,  is  one  of  the  older  species  of 
this  class,  having  been  introduced  from  Bahia  in  1869.  by  Wilson 
Sanders.  The  stems  are  hairy  and  profusely  branched.  The  leaves 
are  from  three  to  six  inches  long,  with  the  upper  surface  green  and 
shaded  with  a  dark  metallic  color.  The  flowers  are  pinkish  white,  and 
the  under  surface  of  the  petals  clothed  with  bristly  hairs.  The  plant 
is  easily  grown,  and  the  bright  metallic  luster  of  the  leaves  makes  it 
attractive  both  in  foliage  and  in  flower.  There  are  three  varieties, 
rariegatti;  velutina,  and  cyprea,  but  they  do  not  differ  much  from 
the  original. 

Margaritae. — B.  Margaritae,  Hort.,  was  introduced  by  Bruant,  in 
1884,  and  is  a  cross  between  B.  metallica  and  B.  echinosepala,  but  the 
leaves  are  considerably  smaller  than  the  leaves  of  the  other  members 
of  this  class.  Otherwise  they  are  very  similar.  The  flowers  are  large, 
rose-colored,  with  long  hairs  at  the  base  of  the  petals. 

ScTimidtiana. — B.  Schmidtiana.,  Hegel  (B.  Sclimidti,  Hort.),  is  a 
low-growing  species  introduced  by  Haage  and  Schmidt  from  Eio  Grand 
de  Sul,  Brazil,  in  1880,  and  was  named  by  Dr.  Kegel,  of  St.  Petersburg, 
in  compliment  to  Mr.  Schmidt.  The  plant  never  exceeds  a  foot 
in  height,  with  rather  small,  hairy  leaves,  green  above  and  reddish 
underneath.  The  flowers  are  white,  tinted  with  rose,  and  very  abun- 
dant. It  is  regarded  by  many  as  a  very  desirable  plant  for  summer 
liedding. 

Echinosepala. — B.  echinosepala,  Eegel,  was  introduced  by  Haage  and 
Schmidt,  from  Santa  Catarina,  in  1872.  This  species  has  been  used 
frequently  as  a  parent  in  the  production  of  the  hybrids  of  this  class, 
but  is  rarely  seen  in  general  cultivation.  The  leaves  are  obliquely 
heart-shaped,  green  above  and  red  beneath.  The  flowers  are  white 
with  hairy  petals. 

Hydrocotylifolia. — B.  hydrocotylifolia,  Otto,  is  a  native  of  Mexico. 
The  whole  plant  is  hairy.  The  leaves  are  round,  heart-shaped  at  the 
base,  and  the  flowers  rose-colored,  with  only  two  petals.  It  is  seldom 
seen  in  cultivation  now.  The  above-mentioned  nine  varieties  appear 
to  be  very  closely  related,  and  can  be  distinguished  from  all  others 
by  their  hairy  leaves  and  petals. 

Imperialis. — There  are  a  few  other  begonias  belonging  to  this  divi- 
sion that  appear  to  have  no  immediate  relatives  in  cultivation,  such 
as  B.  imperialis,  Lemoine.  The  rough  leaves  are  on  hairy  petioles, 
and  are  at  first  a  deep  green  and  later  brownish,  with  irregular 
bands  of  light  green  along  the  veins.  The  flower  stems  are  erect, 
about  three  inches  long,  and  bear  a  cluster  of  insignificant  flowers 
with  green  bracts.  The  capsule  is  green,  three  angled,  with  .one  long 
wing.  It  was  introduced  from  Mexico  by  Verschaffelt  in  1859.  Its 


THE    BEGONIA.  139 

two  varieties,  maculatd  and  smaragdina,  resemble  the  original  very 
closely.  The  former  has  brown  leaves  with  green  blotches,  and  the 
latter  wholly  green  leaves.  These  varieties  are  very  handsome  and 
well  worth  growing  for  their  ornamental  value,  making  splendid  table 
plants. 

Peltata. — B.  peltata,.  Hassk,  is  a  succulent  species  which  has  its 
stems,  leaves,  and  petioles  covered  with  a  soft  white  tomentum  which 
easily  rubs  off  when  touched.  It  is  the  only  begonia  in  cultivation 
with  thick,  felted,  peltate,  silvery  leaves,  and  is  only  worth  growing 
in  the  greenhouse  because  of  its  peculiarities.  Introduced  from  Brazil 
in  1815. 

Platanifolia.—B.  platanifolia,  Graham,  grows  to  a  height  of  five 
feet,  and  has  very  large  leaves  eight  to  ten  inches  in  diameter.  They 
are  hispid  on  both  sides,  dark  green,  lobed,  with  toothed,  hairy  mar- 
gins. The  flowers  are  in  large  dichotomous  cymes,  white,  tinted 
with  rose. 

Ounneraefolia;  Washingtonlana. — B.  gunneraefolia,  Lind.  (B.  Wash- 
ingtoniana,  Hort),  once  offered  by  Saul,  is  very  similar  to  this,  but 
its  leaves  are  smooth  and  glossy,  not  so  deeply  lobed,  and  the  flowers 
are  insignificant,  These  two  species  are  not  of  any  particular  com- 
mercial value. 

Ricinifolia. — B.  ricinifolia,  Hort.,  is  a  cross  between  B.  heracleifolm 
and  B.  peponifolia.  It  has  a  short,  thick  rootstock,  with  very  large, 
rough,  bronzy-green,  lobed  leaves,  somewhat  resembling  those  of  the 
castor-oil  plant,  The  flowers  are  on  long,  erect  flower  stems,  and  of 
a  pink  color. 

Digitata;  Palmata. — B.  digitata,  Eaddi  (B.  palmata,  Hort.),  has 
rather  large  leaves,  deeply  divided  into  from  ten  to  twelve  finger- 
like  lobes,  which  are  pubescent,  green  above  and  reddish  beneath. 
Native  of  Brazil. 

Subpeltata  nigricans. — B.  subpeltata  nigricans,  Hort.,  is  one  of  the 
most  commonly  cultivated  begonias;  but  the  writer  has  been  unable 
to  trace  its  origin.  The  plant  is  about  two  and  one-half  feet  high, 
with  leaves  ovate-acuminate,  blood-red  below  and  silvery  and  slightly 
hairy  above;  four  to  eight  inches  long  and  two  to  four  inches  across. 
The  flowers  are  abundant,  rose  pink,  with  a  pink,  equal-winged  capsule. 
Pres.  de  Boureilles  is  a  much  improved  variety  of  the  above,  with  rich, 
dark,  claret-colored  leaves,  more  profusely  studded  with  red  hairs, 
and  flowers  of  a  deeper  pink.  These  varieties  are  compact  growers 
and  very  useful  for  decorative  purposes. 

Ulmifolia. — B.  ulmifolia,  Humb.,  Bonpl.  and  Kunth.  (  ?),  is  a  rough- 
leaved  species  only  occasionally  seen  in  cultivation,  with  clusters  of 
white  flowers,  and  ovate  leaves  about  four  inches  long.  Native  of 
Venezuela. 


140  PACIFIC   STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

The  second  large  division  of  the  fibrous-rooted  section,  i.  e.,  those 
with  their  leaves  smooth,  or  only  a  few  scattered  hairs  on  the  upper 
surface  or  on  the  margins,  is  a  very  large  one,  and .  comprises  most 
of  the  begonias  cultivated  in  the  greenhouse,  garden,  and  home. 

Semperflorens. — B.  Semper florens,  Link  and  Otto,  is  an  exceed- 
ingly variable  species  from  six  to  eighteen  inches  high,  with  pale, 
glossy-green,  smooth  leaves,  tinged  with  red  on  the  midrib  and  petiole. 
The  flowers  are  rose-colored  or  white,  and  the  capsule  green,  tinged 
with  red.  An  endless  number  of  garden  forms  has  been  produced 
from  this  species,  and  for  bedding  in  suitable  climates,  it  can  not 
be  excelled.  Some  of  the  most  important  forms  and  varieties  are 
Sieberiana,  atropurpurea  compacta,  or  Vernon,  Fairy  Queen,  Duchess 
of  York,  Crimson  Gem,  Duchess  of  Edinburgh,  Reading  Snow  flake, 
Diadem,  Illustration,  Albatross,  elegantissima,  Mastodonte,  Goliath,  La 
Prance,  Obelisque,  etc.  These  varieties  can  be  very  easily  grown  from 
seed.  B.  semperflorens  has  also  been  crossed  with  B.  Schmidtiana, 
producing  two  of  the  best-known  bedding  varieties,  Carrieri  and  Erfor- 
dii,  the  former  being  introduced  by  Bruant  in  1883,  and  the  latter 
by  Haage  and  Schmidt  in  1894.  B.  gigantea  rosea,  Hort.,  is  an  excel- 
lent hybrid  which  has  been  produced  by  crossing  B.  semperflorens 
and  B.  Lyncheana.  The  plant  is  about  three  feet  high,  with  green 
ovate  leaves  with  a  red  sinus  at  the  base  of  each  leaf.  The  flower 
stems  are  from  six  to  eight  inches  long  and  terminate  in  large  cymes 
of  rosy-red  flowers.  It  is  one  of  the  best  begonias  for  winter  decora- 
tion in  the  greenhouse,  and  was  introduced  by  Lemoine  in  1888. 

Fuchsiodes. — B.  fuchsiodes,  Hook.,  was  introduced  from  New 
Granada  to  Kew  in  1847  by  the  collector,  Purdie,  who  found  it  on  the 
Ocana  Mountains.  It  has  succulent  tall  stems,  three  feet  or  more 
high,  which  are  clothed  with  numerous  ovate,  green  leaves,  one  and 
one-half  inches  long  and  tinged  with  red  when  young.  The  scarlet 
flowers  are  borne  on  drooping-branched  cymes,  and  greatly  resemble 
a  fuchsia.  This  is  a  first-class  greenhouse  plant,  and  may  be  grown 
into  a  short,  bushy  plant,  or  may  be  trained  to  cover  unsightly  walls 
and  pillars.  It  is  somewhat  impatient  of  stagnant  water  about  its 
roots,  the  leaves  turning  yellow  and  falling  off  unless  provided  with 
good  drainage.  Var.  miniata,  Linden  (B.  cinnabarina,  Hort,),  was 
introduced  from  Colombia  to  Belgium  by  W.  Linden.  It  differs  from 
the  species  only  in  having  flesh-colored  flowers.  In  1891,  Lemoine 
crossed  this  variety  with  B.  semperflorens,  and  produced  an  easy- 
growing,  pretty  hybrid  called  B.  abundance.  CorbeiUe  de  Feu  is  an- 
other hybrid  introduced  by  Lemoine  by  crossing  semperflorens  and 
fuchsiodes,  which  is  well  worth  growing. 

Nitida.—B.    nitida,  Dryander,  previously  mentioned    as    the    first 


THE    BEGONIA.  141 

begonia  introduced  into  cultivation,  is  to-day  one  of  the  most  pop  alar 
species.  The  stems  are  usually  about  three  feet  high  and  fleshy,  but 
becoming  woody  at  the  base  when  old.  The  writer  has  seen  a  speci- 
men of  this  begonia  which  was  an  inch  or  more  in  diameter  at  the 
base,  and  reaching  a  height  of  twelve  feet,  where  it  spread  out  like 
a  greenhouse  grapevine,  and  sent  out  numerous  cymes  of  pink  flowers 
with  a  silvery  blush,  all  the  year  round.  Var.  odorata  alba,  Hort,  is 
a  very  handsome  variety  of  this  species,  which  has  smaller  flowers  of 
the  purest  white  and  sweet  scented. 

Dr.  Nachtigal—B.  Dr.  Naclitigal,  a  hybrid  between  this  variety 
and  B.  Lynclieana,  is  similar  in  general  form  to  the  above,  but  has 
flowers  of  a  delicate  rose  pink,  especially  on  the  inner  surface  of  the 
petals.  B.  nitida  was  crossed  by  Ingram  with  B.  fuchsioides  as  early 
as  1849.  resulting  in  B.  Ingrami,  a  hybrid  which  combines  the  char- 
acters of  the  two  species. 

Lynclieana;  Roezlii. — B.  Lynclieana,  Hook.  (B.  Roezlii,  Regel),  a 
native  of  New  Granada,  is  almost  identical  with  the  hybrid  B.  gigan- 
tea  rosea,  but  is  not  so  strong  a  grower.  It  has  been  iised  to  some 
extent  by  the  French  hybridists  in  the  production  of  new  hybrids,  but 
is  rarely  seen  in  this  country.  Bruant  crossed  this  species  with  B. 
Bruanti  in  1886,  and  again  in  1889,  producing  the  hybrids  Ameliae 
and  Lucianae,  with  large  smooth  leaves  and  rose-colored  flowers. 

Ascotiensis. — B.  Ascotiensis,  "Webb,  has  smooth,  brownish  leaves 
with  toothed  green  margins,  and  bright  red  flowers  on  long  peduncles. 

Bertha  de  Chateaurocher. — Bertha  de  Chateaurocher  is  a  new  vari- 
ety of  the  above,  with  bright  currant-red  flowers,  which  are  very  use- 
ful for  decoration. 

Teiwcheri. — B.  Teuscheri,  Lind.,  is  a  strong  grower  with  large, 
acutely-lobed,  ovate  leaves,  which  are  blotched  with  gray  on  the  upper 
surface  and  red-veined  below.  The  flowers  are  bright  red,  and  hang 
in  large  clusters  on  the  axils  of  the  leaves. 

Olbia. — B.  olbia,  Kerchove,  has  erect,  leathery  stems  about  three 
feet  high,  which  are  densely  clothed  with  acute-lobed  leaves,  olive 
green  above  and  red  beneath.  The  flowers  are  in  small  clusters  011 
ihe  stem  and  almost  entirely  concealed  by  the  leaves.  A  native  of 
Brazil.  This  is  a  very  attractive  variety  to  grow  for  its  foliage. 

Mad.  dv  Lpsseps. — B.  Madame  de  Lesseps  is  a  recently-introduced 
variety  with  unknown  origin,  which  closely  resembles  the  above  in 
foliage,  but  is  not  so  compact.  The  flowers  are  large,  and  hang  in 
immense  white  clusters  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves. 

Coccinea:  Rubra. — B.  coccinea,  Hook.,  more  commonly  known  as 
rulni,  was  introduced  from  Brazil  by  Veitch  &  Sons  in  1841.  It 
was  discovered  by  Gardner  in  1837,  who  describes  it  as  "a  magnificent 


142  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL   CONGRESS. 

plant  growing  on  rocks  and  sometimes  on  the  stems  of  trees  on  the 
Organ  Mountains  of  Brazil/'  It  has  long,  bamboo-like,  branching 
stems,  and  appears  to  be  more  suitable  for  growing  into  large  plants 
for  outdoor  purposes  than  for  the  greenhouse.  The  leaves  are  about 
six  inches  long,  oblong,  angular,  with  wavy  red  margins.  The  flower 
stems  are  axillary,  branched,  and  drooping,  bearing  numerous  coral- 
red  flowers.  The  females  are  more  attractive,  owing  to  the  length 
and  rich  color  of  the  ovary.  The  flowers  are  very  persistent  and 
exceedingly  ornamental.  In  the  Botanic  Gardens  at  Kouen  it  is  used 
to  cover  the  walls.  At  the  home  of  Mr.  Cameron,  at  Niagara  Falls, 
the  writer  has  seen  a  large  plant,  eleven  feet  high  and  profusely 
branched,  growing  in  the  center  of  the  lawn,  laden  with  its  beautiful 
bright-red  blossoms,  which  had  an  exceedingly  picturesque  effect, 

Bismarcki. — Bismarcki,  President  Carnot,  Souvenir  de  F.  Gaulin, 
and  Otto  Forster  are  said  to  be  crosses  between  the  two  last-named 
species,  but  are  disliked  by  florists  because  of  their  leggy  appearance. 
They  are  all  very  similar  in  habit,  and  resemble  very  closely  B.  Teii*~ 
cheri,  the  female  clusters  producing  a  gorgeous  display  of  red. 

Incarnata;  Insignis. — B.  incarnata,  Link  and  Otto  (B.  insignis,  Gra- 
ham), is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  variable  species,  and  includes  ;i 
number  of  named  kinds  seldom  seen  in  cultivation  now,  such  as  acumi- 
nata,  ancubaefolia,  papillosa,  Lindleyana,  maculosa,  and  purpurea.  It  is 
said  to  have  been  introduced  from  Mexico  to  the  Berlin  Botanical  Gar- 
dens in  1822.  The  plant  is  about  two  feet  high,  with  somewhat 
lanceolate,  toothed  leaves,  which  are  green  above  and  reddish  beneath. 
The  flowers  are  rose-colored,  and  hang  in  clusters  on  arching  flower 
stems.  It  is  a  very  handsome  decorative  plant,  but  has  been  almost 
entirely  supplanted  by  incarnata  grandiflora,  a  much  improved  vari- 
ety, which  is  very  useful  for  cut  flowers  for  decoration  in  winter. 

Foliosa. — B.  foliosa,  H.  B.  K.,  was  introduced  from  New  Granada 
by  William  Sanders  in  1868.  It  sends  up  from  its  base  numerous 
frond-like  branching  stems,  which  are  densely  clothed  with  very  small, 
glossy,  green  leaves.  The  flowers  are  small,  white,  tinged  with  rose. 
This  is  a  very  ornamental  species  at  all  stages  of  its  growth. 

Scandens. — B.  scandens,  Swartz,  as  already  mentioned,  is  one  of 
the  most  widely-distributed  begonias  known,  being  a  native  of  Ja- 
maica, Guiana,  Peru,  and  Costa  Eica.  It  was  introduced  into  culti- 
vation about  1874  from  the  West  Indies.  The  stems  climb,  trail,  or 
cling,  by  means  of  short  aerial  roots,  like  ivy.  The  leaves  are  about 
four  inches  long  and  glossy  green.  The  flowers  are  small,  white, 
and  hang  in  ball-like  clusters. 

GlaucopJiylla. — B.  glaucophylla,  Hook.,  is  much  more  frequently 
met  with  in  cultivation  than  the  last  named,  and  goes  by  the  follow- 


THE    BEGOXIA.  143 

ing  names  in  the  catalogues:  Glaucopliylla,  glaucophylla  scandens,  and 
Comte  de  Limminglie.  Its  origin  is  unknown,  but  it  is  probably  Bra- 
zilian. It  was  first  found  some  years  previous  to  1888  in  an  obscure 
garden  in  Dorsetshire,  England.  The  stems  are  long,  drooping,  or 
creeping,  and  bear  glaucous-green,  ovate,  wavy  leaves  from  three  to 
five  inches  long.  The  flowers  are  in  compact  clusters,  and  brownish  - 
red  in  color,  and  variegated  in  bud.  It  flowers  freely  all  winter. 

Maculata. — B.  maculata,  Eaddi.  (B.  argyrostigma,  Fisch.),  has  erect, 
branching  stems,  and  broadly  lanceolate,  wavy  leaves  four  to  six  inches 
long,  with  the  upper  surface  sometimes  dotted  with  roundish  white- 
spots.  The  flowers  are  pale  rose  or  white.  Var.  argyrostigma  picta, 
Hort.,  is  a  common  form  with  very  large,  white  spots  on  the  leaves. 
Introduced  from  Brazil  about  1822.  The  plant  is  a  strong  grower, 
but  is  considered  by  many  "too  leggy." 

Goegoensis. — B.  goegoensis,  Brown,  sometimes  known  as  the  Fire 
King,  has  a  short,  thick  rootstock,  and  roundish  leaves,  which  have 
their  surfaces  puckered  green  above  and  red  beneath,  with  dark  bronzy 
blotches.  The  flowers  are  small  and  rose  pink.  It  was  introduced 
from  Gogoe,  Sumatra,  by  Veitch  &  Sons,  in  1882.  This  begonia 
is  very  distinct  and  ornamental,  and  well  worthy  of  a  place  in  the 
greenhouses. 

Daedalea. — B.  daedalea,  Lemoine  (B.  strigillosa,  Dietr.),  has  a 
short,  thick  rootstock,  reminding  one  of  the  Rex  type.  The  leaves 
are  large  and  smooth,  with  toothed  margins  that  are  beset  with  long, 
reddish  hairs.  The  surface  of  the  leaves  is  covered  with  a  network 
of  russet  brown.  The  flowers  are  white,  tinged  with  pink.  This  is 
a  very  handsome  foliage  plant  not  very  widely  known.  A  native  of 
Mexico. 

Stigmosa. — B.  stigmosa,  Lindl.,  is  very  similar  to  B.  daedalea  in 
habit  and  general  appearance,  but  the  coloring  of  the  leaves  differs 
in  the  brown  being  in  blotches  instead  of  a  network. 

Sanguinea. — B.  sanguinea,  Raddi,  is  one  of  the  most  common  be- 
gonias in  cultivation.  It  has  smooth,  thick,  fleshy  leaves  which  are 
bright  green  above  and  blood  crimson  below.  The  flowers  are  small, 
white,  and  insignificant.  It  was  introduced  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  in 
1823  to  the  Berlin  Botanical  Gardens,  and  is  a  handsome  foliage  plant. 
This  species  was  crossed  with  B.  metallica,  producing  B.  Tnurstoni, 
a  hybrid  with  a  smooth,  shiny,  rich  purple,  roundish  leaves,  which 
are  red  on  the  under  side  and  prominently  veined.  The  flowers  are 
small,  rosy  white,  on  slender  flower  stems. 

Heracleifolia. — B.    It  eraclei  folia,    Cham,    and    Schlecht,    which    was 
introduced  from  Mexico  by  Otto,  of  Berlin,  in  1830,  is  a  very  large- 
growing  species  with  palmate  leaves  six  to  twelve  inches  across.     Tire 
10 


144  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

lobes  are  of  a  rich  green  and  toothed.  The  flowers  are  on  erect 
flower  stems  three  to  four  feet  long.  There  are  several  varieties  of 
this  species  which  do  not  differ  much  from  the  original.  Var.  nigricans 
has  the  margins  of  the  leaves  bordered  with  dark  green;  var.  longipila 
has  long  fleshy  hairs  on  the  leafstocks  and  flower  stems;  var.  punctata 
has  green  leaves  which  become  reddish  near  the  margins;  var.  Sunder- 
bruchi,  which  is  of  American  origin,  has  bronze-green  leaves  with  sil- 
ver bands  along  the  nerves. 

Lubbersi. — There  is  a  species  called  B.  Lubbersi,  E.  Morr.,  which 
was  introduced  from  Brazil  in  1833  into  the  Brussels  Botanical  Gar- 
dens, which  is  almost  identical  with  the  above,  and  should  be  classed 
as  a  variety. 

Albo  picta. — B.  albo  picta,  Bull.,  was  introduced  from  Brazil  by 
Win.  Bull.  It  is  a  compact  grower,  branching  freely,  with  lanceo- 
late leaves  covered  with  small,  white,  silvery  spots.  The  flowers  are 
of  a  greenish  white  and  insignificant.  It  is  quite  common  in  cultiva- 
tion, and  is  regarded  as  an  excellent  foliage  plant.  This  species  was 
crossed  with  B.  olbia  bv  Lemoine  in  1889,  producing  a  handsome 
hybrid  called  argenteo  guttata,  with  leaves  similar  to  albo  picta,  but 
larger  and  slightly  lobed.  The  flowers  hang  in  clusters  and  are  white, 
tinged  with  pink,  and  a  rose-colored  capsule. 

Albo  Coccinea. — B.  albo  coccinea,  Hook.,  was  introduced  from  Brazil 
to  Kew  in  1845,  but  is  seldom  seen  in  this  country.  It  has  round, 
leathery  leaves,  and  large,  coral-red  flowers,  one  inch  across.  The 
petals  are  white  above  and  coral  red  beneath.  It  is  a  very  beautiful 
species,  flowering  in  winter,  and  should  be  introduced  extensively. 

Manicata. — B.  manicata,  Brongn.,  is  one  of  the  most  widely  culti- 
vated species,  and  is  used  extensively  in  store  windows,  houses,  and 
the  conservatory.  It  is  very  hardy,  withstanding  rough  treatment  het- 
ter  than  any  other  begonia.  The  plant  has  a  short,  succulent  stem 
and  thick,  fleshy,  smooth,  obliquely  heart-shaped  flowers.  It  was 
introduced  from  the  Vera  Cruz  Mountains  in  1842.  Var.  aureo 
maculata  has  large  blotches  of  yellowish  white  in  the  leaves.  B. 
Feasti  and  Sauli,  which  are  close  relatives  of  this  species,  have  already 
1)een  described,  when  speaking  of  American  introductions.  B.  mani- 
cata has  been  crossed  with  B.  car  oliniae  folia,,  producing  B.  Verschaf- 
feltiana.  It  has  a  thick  rhizome,  with  large,  ovate,  lobed  leaves,  and 
rose-colored  flowers  on  long  pendant  flower  stems.  The  plant  is  tall, 
coarse,  and  unsightly  as  an  old  specimen,  but  when  well  grown  from 
year  to  year  from  cuttings,  makes  a  splendid  plant. 

Caroliniaefolia.—B.  caroliniaefolia,  Eegel,  has  an  erect,  thick, 
fleshy  stem,  with  palmate  leaves  divided  into  six  or  eight.  The  flowers 
are  pink,  on  long  peduncles.  It  is  a  native  of  Mexico. 


THE    BEGOXJA.  145 

Diadema;  Sceptra. — B.  diadema,  Linden  (B.  sceptra,  Hort.),  grows 
about  two  feet  high,  with  green,  dentate,  deeply-parted  leaves  that 
are  blotched  with  white.  The  flowers  are  insignificant.  A  native  of 
Borneo. 

Angvlaris;  Zebrina. — B.  angularis,  Raddi.  (B.  zebrina,  Hort.),  is  a 
smooth-stemmed,  succulent  species  about  two  feet  high,  with  long,  ovate, 
shiny-green  leaves,  with  undulating  margins  and  white  veins.  The 
flowers  are  insignificant  and  light  pink.  A  native  of  Brazil. 

Wettsteinii. — B.  Wettsteinii,  Hort.,  is  of  unknown  origin,  and  grows 
about  a  foot  high,  with'  slightly  lobed  leaves  and  bright  red  flowers, 
which  hang  on  long,  graceful  flower  stems. 

Dregei. — A  species  that  is  of  special  importance  on  account  of 
crossing  it  with  the  semi-tuberous  section,  is  B.  Dregei,  Otto  and  Dietr. 
It  is  peculiar  in  having  a  large,  globular  rootstock  like  a  cyclamen. 
The  leaves  are  small,  green,  deeply  toothed,  and  reddish  on  the  under 
side.  The  flowers  are  small  and  white.  B.  Macbethii,  Hort.,  is  a 
straggly  form  of  the  above,  with  pink  flowers,  whose  origin  the  writer 
has  been  unable  to  trace. 

Weltoniensi*. — B.  Weltoniensi*,  Hort..  is  probably  a  hybrid  or  much- 
improved  variety  of  B.  Dregei.  It  is  said  to  have  been  introduced 
by  Major  Clark,  of  Welton  Park,  England,  but  its  parentage  is  not 
given.  The  leaves  are  larger  and  broader  than  those  of  B.  Dregei, 
and  the  flowers  are  very  profuse  and  of  a  delicate  shade  of  pink. 
Var.  alba  differs  only  in  having  white  flowers.  These  two  last-named 
begonias  are  very  useful  for  decorative  purposes. 

SEMI-TUBEROUS      SECTION. 

The  second  section,  the  semi-tuberous,  comprises  B.  Socotrana,  with 
its  hybrid  varieties.  Its  origin,  discovery,  and  habitat  have  already 
been  given.  It  is  a  fall-blooming  species,  semi-tuberous  in  character, 
and  especially  distinct.  The  leaves  are  peltate,  and  the  much-branched 
panicles  bear  lovely  carmine-pink  flowers.  It  is  more  useful  for  cut 
flowers  than  those  of  the  tuberous  section,  as  the  female  flowers  are 
numerous  and  persistent.  An  interesting  fact  is  that  this  species 
has  been  crossed  with  the  fibrous-rooted  section  on  the  one  side,  and 
the  tuberous  section  on  the  other.  What  remains  now  to  be  accom- 
plished is  to  infuse  the  blood  of  the  tuberous  section  with  that  of  the 
fibrous  section,  or  winter-flowering  begonias.  If  this  is  done,  and 
there  seems  but  very  little  doubt  that  it  can  be  done,  it  will  prove 
a  great  acquisition  to  our  greenhouses,  for  no  more  beautiful  plants 
can  be  imagined  than  the  foliage  of  many  of  the  fibrous-rooted  sorts 
combined  with  the  gorgeous,  many-colored,  tuberous  varieties.  An 
interesting  experiment  also  would  be  to  cross  B.  Socotrana  with  some 


146  PACIFIC    STATES    FLOliAL    CONGRESS. 

of  the  varieties  of  the  Eex  section,  and  note  the  results.  Perhaps 
the  most  interesting  hybrid  belonging  to  this  section  is  Gloire  de  Lor- 
raine, a  cross  between  B.  Socotrana  and  B.  Drcgei.  Although  B. 
Socotrana  is  semi-tuberous,  and  B.  Dregei  has  a  large,  thickened 
rhizome,  the  hybrid  shows  neither,  but  the  base  of  the  stem  throws  out 
many  shoots,  which  can  be  separated,  'and  insure  the  multiplication 
of  the  plant.  The  leaves  are  few,  small,  pure  green,  and  nearly 
regular.  The  rose-colored  flowers  are  exceedingly  abundant,  cover- 
ing the  whole  superior  part  of  the  plant.  They  are  almost  exclu- 
sively male,  and  persistent.  This  is  an  excellent  variety  to  grow 
in  baskets  in  the  higher  part  of  the  greenhouse,  well-cared-for  plants 
being  a  sight  never  to  be  forgotten. 

Gloire  de  Sceaux. — Another  handsome  hybrid  is  Gloire  de  Sceaux. 
a  cross  between  B.  Socotrana  and  the  fibrous-rooted  begonia,  subpel- 
tata.  The  plant  is  about  two  feet  high,  stout,  half  shrubby,  erect, 
vigorous,  and  compact,  with  large,  thick,  dark,  metallic  green  leaves, 
and  profuse,  beautiful,  shiny,  rose-colored  male  flowers.  It  flowers 
from  December  until  May.  Introduced  by  Thibaut  and  Keteleer  in 
1885. 

Autumn  Rose,  Bijou. — Autumn  Rose  and  Bijou  are  hybrids  be- 
tween socotrana  and  incarnata,  the  former  with  clear,  deep-rose  flowers. 
and  the  latter  with  red-carmine  flowers.  They  were  introduced  by 
John  Heal,  of  Veitch  &  Sons,  in  1882,  but  are  rarely  seen  in  America. 

Triomphe  de  Lemoine. — Triomphe  de  Lemoine  is  another  hybrid 
belonging  to  this  section,  which  was  introduced  by  Lemoine  in  1888, 
having  for  its  parents  socotrana  and  Lyncheana,  more  commonly  known 
as  Roezlii.  The  stem  branches  into  numerous  flowering  cymes,  the 
plant  resembling  a  large  bouquet  when  in  full  bloom.  It  has  rose- 
carmine  male  flowers  and  occasionally  a  few  female  flowers. 

Triomphe  de  Nancy. — Another  hybrid  not  yet  seen  by  the  writer, 
and  introduced  a  year  later  by  Lemoine,  is  Triomphe  de  Nancy.  One 
of  its  parents  is  socotrana.  and  the  other  is  not  on  record.  It  would 
seem,  however,  from  the  description,  that  it  must  have  been  a  yellow 
double  tuberous  variety.  The  flowers  are  rich  yellow  in  the  center, 
double,  and  the  outer  petals  of  a  paler  hue. 

John  Heal—Jolm  Heal,  introduced  by  John  Heal,  of  Veitch  & 
Sons,  in  1885.  is  especially  interesting  on  account  of  being  the  first 
hybrid  produced  by  crossing  a  semi-tuberous  begonia  with  a  tuberous 
one.  Its  parents  are  Socotrana  and  Viscountess  Doneraile.  The  plant 
is  intermediate  between  the  parents,  branching  naturally  and  freely. 
The  leaves  are  obliquely  heart-shaped  and  not  peltate  as  in  Socotrana. 
The  flowers  are  borne  loosely  on  graceful  peduncles  standing  well 
above  the  foliage,  every  stem  developing  bright,  rosy,  carmine,  male 


THE    BEGOXIA.  147 

flowers.  It  blooms  from  September  to  January.  As  no  female  flowers 
have  been  produced  from  this  hybrid,  seedlings  have  been  impossible. 

Adonis. — Adonis,  a  variety  produced  by  using  the  male  flowers  of 
John  Heal,  and  the  females  of  a  tuberous  variety,  has  soft,  rose- 
colored,  male  flowers,  three  inches  in  diameter,  on  graceful  arching 
peduncles. 

The  following  four  varieties  are  all  crosses  between  Socotrana  and 
a  tuberous  variety:  Winter  Gem,  with  large,  deep  carmine  flowers; 
Julia,  with  large,  double,  salmon-pink  flowers;  Myra,  with  rosy-crimson 
flowers,  and  Ensign,  with  rose-colore'd,  double  flowers. 

TUBEROUS    SECTIOX. 

The  third  section,  the  tuberous  begonias,  are  used  extensively  in 
England  and  France  for  bedding  purposes.  About  twelve  or  fifteen 
years  ago  they  were  imported  in  large  quantities  to  this  country,  but 
growers  soon  found  that  our  burning  hot  suns  and  late  frosts  did 
not  suit  them,  and  soon  dispensed  with  them.  Quite  frequently,  how- 
ever, on  the  shady  side  of  buildings,  a  bed  of  these  gorgeous  plants, 
with  their  vivid  shades  of  red,  white,  yellow,  and  pink  flowers,  may  be 
seen.  Of  the  twenty  species  known  to  be  in  cultivation,  only  about 
six  have  been  used  to  any  great  extent  in  the  production  of  the 
thousands  of  garden  forms  in  existence  to-day.  This  is  of  special 
interest  when  we  consider  that  the  first  begonia  used  in  the  pro- 
duction of  these  forms  was  introduced  only  thirty-six  years  ago.  This 
was  B.  Boliviensis,  D.  C.,  which  was  introduced  from  Bolivia  to 
England  in  1864.  It  has  drooping  panicles  of  cinnabar-scarlet,  fuchsia- 
like  flowers. 

Evansiana. — B.  Evansiana,  Andr.,  is  the  oldest  tuberous  begonia 
known  to  be  in  cultivation,  having  been  introduced  into  Kew  in  1804. 
Although  it  is  a  handsome  and  almost  hardy  species,  it  is  seldom 
seen  now. 

Geranioides. — B.  geranioides,  Hook.,  as  the  name  implies,  has  leaves 
like  a  geranium,  and  erect  flower  stems  bearing  lax  panicles  of  pure 
white  flowers,  with  button-like  clusters  of  yellow  anthers.  If  planted 
in  a  bed  in  a  sunny  greenhouse,  this  is  a  fine  begonia,  flowering  pro- 
fusely during  October  and  November.  It  is  a  native  of  Natal,  and 
was  introduced  to  Kew  in  1866. 

Davisi. — B.  Davisi,  Veitch,  is  a  stemless  variety  with  the  leaves 
springing  directly  from  the  rootstock.  On  account  of  its  bright  red 
flowers,  it  has  been  a  favorite  with  hybridists,  and  is  the  ancestor  of 
numerous  dwarf  garden  forms  with  red  flowers.  It  is  a  native  of 
Peru,  and  came  into  notice  in  1876. 

Rosaeflora. — Another  stemless  species  is  B.  rosacflora,  Hook.,  a  native 


148  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

of  Peru,  with  rose-colored  flowers.  Light-colored  seedlings  of  this 
species  gave  rise  to  the  variety  Queen  of  Whites,  put  into  commerce 
in  1878,  and  destined  to  he  a  most  important  factor  in  subsequent 
garden  forms  of  the  same  color. 

Veitchii. — One  of  the  progenitors  of  the  tuberous  race,  a  native 
of  Peru,  and  introduced  in  1867,  is  B.  Veitchii,  Hook.  It  has  a  very 
short,  thick,  fleshy  stem,  with  the  principal  veins  on  the  leaves  radiat- 
ing from  a  bright  carmine  spot  near  the  center,  and  large  cinnabar- 
red  flowers,  two  and  one-fourth  inches  in  diameter. 

Clarkii. — B.  Clarkii,  Hook.,  is  similar  in  appearance  to  the  last 
named,  and  is  the  seed  parent  of  Vesuvius  and  Emperor,  two  impor- 
tant and  useful  varieties  for  bedding  purposes. 

Pearcei. — A  begonia  which  has  been  the  chief  factor  in  the  produc- 
tion of  the  hundreds  of  }^ellow,  buff,  and  orange-colored  garden  forms 
is  B.  Pearcei,  Hook.  It  is  a  native  of  Bolivia,  and  was  introduced 
in  1865.  The  flowers  are  large,  bright  yellow,  and  hang  in  loose 
axillary  panicles. 

Natalensis. — B.  Natalensis.  Mr.  Hatfield,  of  Wellesley,  Mass.. 
describes  it  as  a  pretty  little  species  with  bluish-white  flowers,  which 
has  established  itself  under  the  benches  in  greenhouses,  like  Evansiana. 

The  following  tuberous  species  are  in  cultivation,  but  are  not 
known  to  be  in  the  American  trade.  For  descriptions  and  .introduc- 
tions, the  writer  would  refer  you  to  Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American 
Horticulture:  Cinndbarina,  crinita,  cydophylla,  geranifolia,  octopetala, 
polypetala,  rubricaulis,  Sutherlandii,  tenera,  and  the  hybrid,  Sedeni. 

If  the  writer  were  to  attempt  to  mention  the  thousands  of  singles, 
doubles,  crimsons,  and  scarlets,  rose  colored,  whites,  oranges,  and  yel- 
lows which  have  been  produced  almost  entirely  from  six  species,  he 
would  be  lost  in  oblivion,  as  unfortunately  most  of  the  records  have 
been.  Too  much  stress  can  not  be  laid  upon  the  importance  and 
necessity  of  florists,  horticulturists,  and  gardeners  making  complete 
records  of  every  cross,  hybrid,  and  variety  produced  by  them.  Who 
can  foretell  the  future  and  say,  "It  is  not  worth  while"? 

REX    SECTION. 

The  fourth  and  last  section  includes  the  Eex  or  ornamental-leaved 
begonias.  These,  though  small  in  number  of  species,  are  large  in  the 
number  of  hybrids  and  varieties.  The  magnificent  species,  B.  Rex, 
is  the  principal  parent  in  the  production  of  the  numerous  ornamental- 
leaved  begonias.  It  has  been  crossed  with  a  few  species  in  the  first 
place,  and  then  hybrid  seedlings  have  been  raised  apain  and  again 
from  the  progeny.  The  original  plant  is  to  be  seen  in  Flore  de 
Serres,  in  the  volume  for  1857.  This  is  of  particular  interest,  as  it 


THE    BEGONIA.  149 

shows  what  this  species  was  like  when  first  known  to  horticulturists. 
It  is  a  native  of  Assam,  India. 

Griffithi. — Another  species  is  B.  Griffithi,  Hook.,  which  was  intro- 
duced from  Assam  by  Henderson,  of  England,  in  1856.  It  has  been 
crossed  but  little  with  any  other  species,  and  is  probably  not  known 
in  America.  B.  Xanthina,  Hook.,  is  so  similar  to  Kex  that  it  is  proba- 
bly only  a  form  of  that  species. 

A  number  of  varieties,  such  as  Madame  Trey ve,  Mad.  Luizet,  Ed. 
B.  Kennedy,  Henri  Vilmorin,  Sir  Joseph  Hooker,  Ed.  Pynaert,  and 
many  others,  have  been  produced  by  crossing  B.  Rex  with  B.  discolor, 
and  are  known  as  the  Ecx-discolor  hybrids.  Others,  such  as  Lesoudii, 
Adrien  Schmidt,  Clementinae,  Madm.  Alamagny,  Mad.  Isabelle  Bellon, 
etc.,  have  been  derived  from  crossing  Rex  with  diadema,  and  are 
known  as  the  Eex-diadema  hybrids.  There  arc  many  miscellaneous 
Rex  hybrids  of  known  origin  which  the  writer  might  mention  to-day, 
but  time  will  not  permit.  One,  however,  which  is  of  particular  inter- 
est, is  Countess  Louise  Erdody,  a  cross  between  Alexander  Humboldt 
and  argentea  cupreata.  The  smaller  of  the  two  lobes  of  the  leaf  is 
twisted  round  at  the  base  in  a  spiral  manner  with  as  many  as  four 
coils.  The  upper  surface  is  silvery,  with  deep  green  veins.  It  was 
introduced  by  Nemeczik,  gardener  to  Count  Erdody,  a  Hungarian 
nobleman,  in  1884. 

Other  varieties  of  unknown  or  uncertain  origin  are  Louise  Closson, 
Lucy  Closson,  Marquis  de  Peralta,  Duchess  de  Brabant,  Louise  Chre- 
tien. Bertha  MacGregor,  Count  Erdody,  with  spiral  lobes  similar  to 
the  Countess,  Matilda,  and  Alice  White. 

Much  more  might  be  said  about  the  begonia.  The  writer  has  not 
touched  upon  the  soil,  conditions  of  moisture  and  temperature,  dis- 
eases and  methods  of  propagation,  all  of  which  are  of  the  greatest 
importance.  These  must  be  treated  at  some  future  time,  as  to  attempt 
to  give  a  few  hurried  remarks  about  these  great  essentials  to  success 
would  be  unfair,  not  only  to  the  writer  and  to  his  hearers,  but  also 
to  the  genus.  Whatever  good  may  result  from  this  paper,  or  what- 
ever value  it  may  be  to  our  florists  and  horticulturists,  one  thing  is 
certain,  that  it  shows  the  wonderful  rapidity  by  which  n  genus,  when 
handled  by  the  sagacious  and  careful  gardener,  may  be  multiplied, 
within  the  course  of  fifty  years,  to  an  almost  indescribable  degree 
of  form,  size,  color,  and  beauty. 

At  the  time  of  reading  this  paper  before  the  society  the  writer  begs 
to  state  that  he  was  not  aware  of  the  collection  of  begonias  of  Mrs. 
Theodosia  B.  Shepherd,  of  Ventura-by-the-Sea,  California,  and  of  her 
excellent  work  with  them.  She  has  a  collection  of  from  125  to  150 
varieties  of  begonias  belonging  to  the  fibrous-rooted  section,  and  has 


150  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGKESS. 

produced  a  number  of  excellent  hybrids  and  varieties.  The  most  re- 
markable is  Marjorie  Daw,  a  cross  between  B.  rulra  and  B.  glaucophylla 
scandens.  Mrs.  Shepherd  writes  of  it  as  follows :  "One  of  my  new  be- 
gonias— Marjorie  Daw — is  a  climber.  I  think  it  is  the  most  rapid  and 
vigorous  growing  begonia  in  existence.  Some  of  the  shoots  are  over  20 
feet  in  length.  It  is  planted  in  a  large  box  in  the  ground  in  the  east  end 
of  my 'largest  greenhouse.  The  branches  spread  out  like  a  great  fan, 
covering  the  entire  end  of  the  house,  and  run  4  or  5  feet  under  the  glass 
roof.  In  November  last  it  had  150  clusters  of  buds  and  blossoms.  It 
grows  so  fast  that  it  is  continually  getting  in  its  own  light,  necessitating 
merciless  pruning  3  or  4  times  each  year.  I  cut  away  last  week  three 
large  armfuls  of  branches,  from  10  inches  to  2  feet  in  length,  sufficient 
to  make  four  or  five  hundred  cuttings,  all  cuttings  having  4  to  6  joints. 
I  have  a  great  many  plants  now  growing  outside,  that  are  growing  even 
more  rapidly  than  the  one  in  the  greenhouse.  I  think  within  three 
years,  with  proper  care,  a  strong  plant  would  grow  to  reach  the  second- 
story  window  of  a  house,  and  have  hundreds  of  beautiful  blossoms.  It 
throws  numerous  shoots  from  the  roots,  which  branch  out  in  all  direc- 
tions, making  very  spreading  plants.  I  think  it  will  be  very  popular 
here  for  cut  flowers,  as  it  can  be  cut  with  branches.  I  am  very  proud  of 
this  lovely  begonia." 

Nevada  State  University, 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


OAKS    OF    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  151 

OAKS    OF    PACIFIC    SLOPE. 

BY   J.    G.    LEMMON. 


The  oak  family  is  one  of  the  highest,  most  modified,  and  extensively 
ilistributed  lines  of  development  in  the  vegetable  kingdom.  They  are 
denizens  of  the  temperate  parts  of  the  northern  hemisphere,  the  chief 
source  of  hard-wood  timber,  of  tannin,  and  of  cork,  the  pride  and 
favorite  grove-maker  of  all  civilized  nations,  the  venerated  trees  under 
which  the  Druids  worshiped  and  which  bore  on  their  "heaven-deformed 
limbs"  the  all-healing  mistletoe.  The  oaks  appeared  on  the  earth,  the 
geologists  tell  us,  in  the  late  cretaceous  and  early  tertiary  periods, 
that  is,  three  long  ages  after  the  advent  of  the  larger  but  less  highly 
organized  cone-bearers,  and  nearly  coeval  with  the  graceful,  heat- 
loving  palm  family. 

The  oaks  were  early  distributed  thoughout  eastern  Asia,  southern 
and  central  Europe,  and  in  North  America,  the  greater  portion  of  the 
latter  inhabiting  a  region  the  center  of  which  was  far  northward 
of  the  present  headquarters  of  the  family.  In  this  age  they  are  found 
on  the  high  plateau  of  Central  America  and  southern  Mexico,  where 
are  now  nourishing  scores  of  species.  From  thence  several  extend 
northward,  inhabiting  Mexico  and  the  United  States,  diminishing  in 
number  of  species  to  six  in  Canada  and  one  in  British  Columbia. 

Oaks  are  recognized  at  sight,  whether  living  plants  of  the  present 
age  or  vestiges  of  early  species  and  found  as  fossils  in  the  rock  strata 
of  the  earth,  by  the  peculiar,  thick,  cup-like  receptacle  of  the  fruit  hold- 
ing a  solitary,  top-shaped  nut — the  acorn.  A  brief  description  of  oaks 
might  be,  "Plants  that  bear  acorns." 

VITALITY     OF      THE     OAKS. 

The  vitality  of  the  oak  is  very  great,  even  under  adverse  circum- 
stances. The  aboriginal  inhabitants,  whether  by  carelessness  or  design, 
used  to  burn  off  annually  the  whole  herbage  from  their  hunting- 
grounds.  While  this  treatment  killed  off  the  tender,  highly-organized 
plants,  the  oaks  broadened  out  their  root-caps  underground,  and  from 
their  borders  sent  up  year  after  year  strong  sprouts,  that,  when  forest- 
Imrning  ceased,  eighty  to  one  hundred  years  ago,  have  grown  to  become 
vigorous  trees.  Also,  the  acorns  germinating  in  the  shade  of  trees 
like  the  cone-bearers,  are  kept  alive  from  year  to  year  by  a  few  leaves. 
while  large  roots  are  being  developed,  and  at  length,  strong,  aggres- 
sive saplings  bearing  broad,  absorbing  leaves  take  possession  of  the 


152  PACIFIC   STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

ground  to  the  exclusion  of  predecessors  and  newcomers.  The  oak  thus 
replaces  the  pine,  to  the  surprise  of  some  observers,  and  continually, 
as  the  pine  forests  of  the  eastern  states  are  cleared  away,  the  rugged 
black  oaks,  often  the  little,  worthless  scrub  oaks,  seize  upon  the 
dominions. 

Forests  of  oak  extend  thus  into  the  naturally  treeless  western  por- 
tion of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  reclothing  the  prairies  and  the  partial 
deserts,  welcomed  and  protected  by  the  settlers.  The  kind  of  oaks 
that  survive  most  in  forests  of  many  species  is  not,  generally,  the  most 
valuable, — the  white  oak  group, — but  the  coarse-grained,  usually  worth- 
less black  oaks.  And  this  is  accounted  for  very  readily;  the  bitter, 
astringent  qualities  of  the  acorns  of  the  black  oaks  are  left  by  swine, 
squirrels,  and  birds  alike,  to  germinate,  while  they  hunt  industriously 
for  the  sweet,  nutritious  acorns  of  the  white  oaks. 

VALUABLE   PRODUCTS. 

The  family  of  oaks,  comprising  the  botanical  genus  of  Quercus,  is 
distinguished,  not  only  for  their  generous  shade,  owing  to  their  usually 
large  and  numerous  leaves,  but  several  of  the  arboreal  species  of 
white  oak  are  celebrated  as  timber  trees.  Of  these  the  most  valuable 
in  various  manufactures  are  Quercus  alba,  the  white  oak  of  the  north- 
ern states,  Q.  virens,  or  live  oak  of  the  southern  states,  and  the 
Q.  platanoides,  or  white  oak  of  the  middle  western  states,  while  others, 
including  the  Q.  densiflora,  the  tan-bark  oak  of  the  California  coast, 
are  prized  for  the  yield  of  bark  collected  by  the  ton  annually  for  mak- 
ing leather.  One  peculiar  species,  Q.  suber,  the  cork-bark  oak  of 
southern  Europe  and  northern  Africa,  yields  the  soft,  spongy  bark 
from  which  is  derived  the  cork  of  commerce.  Also  from  early  times 
oak  galls  caused  by  the  punctures  of  insects,  have  been  used  for  dye- 
ing, for  making  ink,  and,  indeed,  for  wound-dressing  and  for  medicine. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

While  many  species  of  oak  are  doubtless  unknown,  from  the  nature 
of  the  regions  they  affect  (the  high,  broken  mountain  slope's,  mostly 
unexplored),  there  have  been  discovered  and  described  over  three  hun- 
dred species. 

Europe  has  comparatively  less  than  similar  regions  east  and  west 
of  it.  The  number  in  Xorth  America  north  of  Mexico  already  known, 
is  about  fifty.  The  American  species  are  mostly  grouped  in  two 
regions,— the  eastern  Atlantic  slope  and  the  extreme  western  Pacific 
slope. 

Of  the  eastern  oaks  three  species— the  red  oak,  the  bur  oak,  and  the 
white  oak— are  found  at  the  northern  limit  in  northwest  Ontario. 


OAKS  OF  PACIFIC  SLOPE.  153 

Southward  the  species  increase  to  ten  in  southern  New  England,  while 
the  gulf  states  contain  some  nineteen  species;  but  the  central  eastern 
portion  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  contains  more  individual  trees  to 
the  acre — and  they  attain  the  largest  size  there — than  elsewhere  in 
America. 

Leaving  the  prairies  and  approaching  the  high,  dry,  and  cold  mid-' 
continental  plateaus,  the  oaks — even  the  dwarf  varieties — are  almost 
entirely  absent. 

PACIFIC   SLOPE  A  UNIQUE  REGION. 

The  Pacific  slope  of  North  America  comprises,  of  course,  all  that 
part  of  the  continent  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains;  but  for  the  pur- 
pose of  this  paper,  only  the  American  portion  north  of  the  Mexican 
boundary  will  be  considered.  This  region  includes  two  territories,  five 
states,  and  a  portion  of  three  others.  It  happens  that  this  large  region, 
owing  to  the  continuity  of  the  high  Rocky  Mountain  range — without  a 
break  or  low  pass  from  the  Arctic  Ocean  to  the  Gulf  of  Tehuantepec — 
is  possessed  of  a  practically  distinct  flora.  Not  a  pine,  spruce,  fir, 
cedar,  or  cypress,  not  an  oak,  ash,  walnut,  or  maple  of  the  Pacific  slope,  i& 
identical  with  those  beyond  the  Rockies.  So  we  have  here  a  compact, 
definite,  and  nearly  special  creation. 

Because  the  Mexican  boundary  is  not  a  high  mountain  range,  but 
only  a  straight  surveyor's  line  across  a  continuous  plateau,  the  floras 
of  Mexico  and  the  United  States  commingle  here,  five  Mexican  oaks 
dripping  over  the  line  into  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  Three  local 
species  arise  there,  too,  sharing  the  highlands  with  them;  but  from 
thence  northward,  inhabiting  the  humid,  forcing  climate  of  California 
and  Oregon,  to  Washington  and  British  Columbia,  the  thirteen  speciea 
are  all  our  own, — the  largest  and  noblest  of  them  being  in  the  great 
valley  of  California. 

PRINCIPAL    PUBLICATIONS    OF    AMERICAN    OAKS. 

"Sylva  of  North  America,"  a  fine  quarto  volume,  was  published 
1817,  by  Andrew  Michaux,  as  the  result  of  the  explorations  of  h«- 
father  and  himself  in  the  then  little-known  region  of  America.  It 
contains  descriptions  with  excellent  colored  plates  of  the  foliage  and 
fruit  of  twenty-six  species  of  oak  inhabiting  the  region  east  of  the 
Mississippi  River.  The  continuation  of  the  Sylva,  1857,  by  Thos  Nut- 
tall,  added  four  more,  all  from  the  Pacific  slope;  Quercus  agrifolia, 
our  first-discovered,  storm-beaten  live  oak;  Q.  lobata,  the  noble  valley 
oak;  Q.  Garryana,  the  fine  Pacific  white  oak;  and  Q.  dumosa,  the  low, 
bushy  scrub  oak,  or  chaparral. 

"The  Oaks  of  the  United   States,"  a   scholarly  paper,  read   1876 


154  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

before  the  Academy  of  Sciences  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  by  Dr.  Geo.  Engel- 
mann,  described  forty  species,  including  nine  more  western  ones.  In  1880 
Dr.  Engelmann  elaborated  the  genus  Quercus,  the  oaks,  in  Watson's 
second  volume  of  "Botany  of  California."  It  included  descriptions  of 
eleven  western  species.  No  illustrations  accompanied  cither  of  these 
papers. 

"Forest  Trees  of  California"  appeared  1882,  published  by  Dr.  A. 
Kellogg,  one  of  the  seven  founders  of  the  California  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences. It  includes  seven  species  of  oak,  lovingly  described  by  the 
doctor  in  appreciative  but  non-scientific  language,  interspersed  with 
poetical  quotations.  For  many  years  afterward,  Dr.  Kellogg  devoted 
odd  hours  to  accurate  drawings  of  oak  branchlets — the  foliage,  flowers, 
and  fruit — which  were  utilized  by  a  later  author. 

"West  American  Oaks,"  appearing  1889,  is  a  folio  volume  in  two 
parts,  by  Prof.  E.  L.  Greene,  then  of  the  University  of  California. 
The  first  part  is  a  memorial  tribute  to  the  labor  and  worth  of  Dr. 
Kellogg,  the  illustrations  being  those  cited  above  as  the  painstaking  work 
of  the  doctor.  The  species,  seventeen  in  number,  include  Quercus  Morc- 
lius,  of  Kellogg,  and  a  new  and  tenable  species  described  under  the 
name  of  Q.  Engelmanni. 

Dr.  Kellogg's  drawings  of  species  outside  of  California  were  made 
from  specimens  collected  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  by  the  writer, 
as  noted  by  the  pencil  of  Dr.  Kellogg  and  the  pen  of  Professor  Greene. 
The  second  part  presented  several  proposed  new  species,  illustrated  by 
drawings  by  Geo.  Hanson. 

"Forest  Trees  of  North  America,"  being  vol.  9  of  the  Tenth  Cen- 
sus of  the  United  States,  appeared  1884,  by  Prof.  C.  S.  Sargent, 
director  of.  Arnold  Arboretum.  This  large  folio  volume  contains 
extended  discussions  of  trees  from  many  points  of  view,  describing 
forty-eight  oaks,  sixteen  of  them  inhabiting  West  America.  No  illus- 
trations. 

"Arborescent  Flora  of  the  United  States"  is  the  title  of  a  classified 
list  or  bulletin  from  the  Agricultural  Department  at  Washington, 
issued  1887,  by  Geo.  B.  Sudworth,  dendrologist  of  the  Division  of 
Forestry.  The  publication  of  this  painstaking  list  gave  Mr.  Sudworth 
the  opportunity  to  apply  the  new  rules  of  priority  in  the  presentation  of 
names,  whereby  he  becomes  the  author  of  scores  of  new  designations 
of  well-known  trees,  including  Sequoia  Wasliingtoniann,  for  our  Giant 
Sequoia. 

This  volume  was  followed,  1898,  by  a  Check  List  of  United  States 
Forest  Trees,  their  Names  and  Eanges,  including  seventeen  species 
of  oak  from  West  America. 


OAKS    OF    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  .155 

Latest  and  most  extensive  of  all  is  the  "Sylva  of  Xorth  America," 
by  Prof.  C.  S.  Sargent.  This  is  a  series  of  twelve  magnificent  folio 
volumes,  which  began  to  appear  in  1891.  The  seventh  volume,  pub- 
lished 1895,  treats  of  the  Cupuliferae,  including  the  oaks.  With  elab- 
orate descriptions  and  foot-notes  of  each  species  and  ample  illustrations 
•of  the  foliage,  flowers,  and  fruit,  these  twelve  ponderous  volumes,  com- 
prising fill  the  American  trees  known,  must  long  remain  the  most 
valuable  treatises  upon  the  subject, — a  conspicuous  and  fitting  monu- 
ment to  the  industry,  erudition,  and  perseverance  of  their  author. 
There  was  but  a  limited  edition  printed,  the  sets  costing  to  universities 
and  public  libraries  twenty-five  dollars  per  volume.  Sargent  describes 
fifty  species  of  oak,  twenty-one  of  them  in  West  America. 

Xo  illustrations  of  entire  trees  or  lower  portions  of  tree  trunks — as 
instructive  in  this  as  in  the  conifer  family — are  given  in  any  of  the 
works  above  cited.  In  time  the  public  Avill  demand  a  fully  illustrated 
work,  especially  of  our  western  trees,  at  once  a  supreme  delight  to  the 
eye  and  affording  a  complete  comprehension  by  the  mind  of  the  beauty 
and  value  of  these  master  products  of  the  earth. 

The  varying  number  of  western  oaks  described  in  the  twelve  volumes 
cited — ranging  from  four  species  in  Xuttall's  Sylva  to  twenty-one  in 
Sargent's — indicates  not  only  the  advance  of  discovery  in  forty  years, 
but  also  the  varying  number  of  characters  deemed  necessary  for 
specific  rank  by  different  botanists,  some  requiring  more  than  others. 

In  general,  Professor  Greene  is  very  radical,  often  publishing  new 
species  on  a  few  characters,  while  Professor  Sargent  is  conservative, 
often  uniting  many  forms  under  one  general  description. 

THE   OAKS,   A  MEMORIAL   FAMILY. 

The  oaks  may  well  be  called  the  memorial  family:  no  other  genus 
of  plants  of  the  same  number  of  species  has  so  many  in  it  named  for 
persons.  There  is  good  reason  for  this.  The  species  are  so  widely  dis- 
tributed through  the  north  temperate  regions,  the  very  regions  inhab- 
ited by  persons  of  appreciation,  and  they  are  usually  so  beautiful  am: 
long-lived,  that  they  speedily  become  well  known  and  great  favorites; 
hence,  it  is  a  high  honor  to  have  a  species  of  oak  named  for  one  by  a 
fellow-botanist. 

The  whole  number  of  species  of  oak  in  the  United  States  is  forty- 
three;  the  number  named  for  persons  (the  discoverer  or  one  who  has 
studied  them  closely)  is  fifteen.  The  number  on  the  Pacific  slope  is 
twenty-one,  of  which  more  than  half  (twelve)  are  memorial  oaks. 

In  the  descriptions  following  (this  being  more  a  popular  than  a 
scientific  treatment  of  the  subject),  some  attention  is  given  to  the  dis- 


156  .  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

coverers  and  describers  of  species;  in  some  instances,  brief  biographies 
are  presented. 

The  writer,  although  he  has  explored  the  Pacific  slope  for  many 
years,  collecting  specimens  and  studying  trees,  was  not  fortunate 
enough  to  be  the  very  first  botanist  to  find  an  unknown  oak;  hence,  he 
is  all  the  more  at  liberty  to  write  of  the  fortunate  immortals  whose 
names  are  commemorated  by  a  dozen  of  our  magnificent  or  other- 
wise interesting  western  oaks. 


CONSPECTUS. 
Genus  Quercus  (THE  OAKS). 

Monoecious  trees  or  shrubs  of  northern  temperate  and  warm  regions,  of 
about  300  known  species,  especially  abundant  in  eastern  Asia  and  in  Mexico. 
Wood  mostly  hard  and  durable.  Leaves  alternate,  simple,  pinnate-veined, 
usually  broad  and  flat.  Fruit  a  scaly,  thickened  cup  sustaining  a  solitary, 
one-celled  nut — the  acorn.  Staminate  flowers  in  slender  aments,  pendulous 
(erect  in  one  species)  bracts  caducous.  Pistillate  flowers  solitary  or  scat- 
tered, consisting  of  an  ovary  with  5  to  8  styles  or  sessile  stigmas;  ovules  six, 
but  only  one  is  fertilized,  becoming  the  thick,  fleshy,  two-lobed  seed  filling 
the  nut,  the  rudiments  of  the  five  abortive  ovules  remaining  near  the  base,  or 
along  the  side,  or  prolonged  to  the  apex  of  the  seed. 

WHITE   OAKS. 

A.     Bark  pale  or  light-colored,  wood  nearly  white;  stamens  6-9,  stigmas  sessile  or 
nearly  so;  acorns  mostly  soft-shelled,  seeds  edible;  abortive  ovules  basal  or  rarely 
lateral;  16  species. 
I.   Maturation  annual;  nut  glabrous  within  (except  Q.  Emoryi);  abortive  ovules 

basal. 

(a)  Leaves  falling  in  autumn  (except  Q.  Sadleriana). 
*  Leaves  yellow-green  and  large. 

(1)  Lyrate  or  sinuate-pinnatified.     Acorns  large. 

Leaves  oblong  or  obovate,  deeply  ]obed,  usually  stellate-pubes- 
cent above,  pale  and  pubescent  below;  nut  conical  elon- 
gated, 1}  to  2  inches  long.  Great  Valley  Oak 

1.  Q.   lobata. 

Leaves  obovate  or  oblong,  coarsely  pinnatified;  green  and  lus- 
trous above,  branchlets  thick;  buds  large  and  very  hairy; 
nut  oval  or  oblong,  1  to  \\  inches  long.    Pacific  Post  Oak. 

2.  Q.   Garry  ana. 
Leaves  obovate  or  oblong-lanceolate,  3  to  6  inches  long,  lobed  or 

pinnatified  and  shining  above,  pubescent  below;  branch- 
lets  and  buds  tomentose;  nut  1  to  1\  inches  long.  Gambel 
Oak 3.  q.  Gombclii. 


OAKS  OF  PACIFIC  SLOPE.  157 

Leaves  obovate,  2  to  5  inches   long,  acutely  lobed,  pubescent 
below;  nut  oblong,  large,  1  to  1}  inches  long,  cup  shal- 
low.    A  small  shrub.    Brewer  Oak.    4.   Q.  Breweri. 
(2)  Coarsely  sinuate-toothed. 

Leaves  oval  to  obovate,  thick,  coriaceous,  pale  below;  persisting 
during  the  winter.  A  low  shrub.  Sadler  Oak  .... 

5.  Q.  Sadleriana. 
**  Leaves  blue-green  and  small. 

Oblong,  sinuate-dentate,  entire  or  lobed,  or  spinescent-toothed, 
1£  to  2  inches  long,  glaucous  above,  pubescent  below;  nut 
small,  ovate,  £  to  1  inch  long.  Rocky  Mt.  Oak 

6.  Q.  undulata. 
Oblong,  entire  or  sinuate-lobed,  conspicuously  light-blue  above, 

pubescent  below;  nut  large,  oblong  or  ventricose,  £  to  1£ 
inches  long.   Blue  Oak,  Douglas  Oak.  7.   Q.  Douglasii. 

(b)  Leaves  mostly  persistent  until  the  following  spring.     (Evergreen  Oaks. ) 
*  Leaves  blue-green. 

Oblong  or  obovate,  usually  obtuse  and  rounded  at  apex,  entire 
or  remotely  dentate;  nut  ovate,  f  to  1  inch  long,  Ever- 
green or  Englemann  Oak 8.  Q.  Engelmanni. 

Ovate  or  oval,  usually  cordate  at  base,  entirely  or  remotely 
spinulose-dentate;  nut  small,  ovate.  Oblong-leaf  Oak  . 

9.   Q.  oblongifolia. 

Oblong  to  broadly-obovate,  cordate  or  rounded  at  base;  spinose 
dentate,  reticulate-venulose  below;  branchlets  thick, 
rigid;  nut  small,  nearly  globular,  £  inch  long.  Arizona 

White  Oak 10.  Q.Arizonica,n.8p. 

Broadly  obovate.  cordate,  usually  rounded  and  obtuse  at  apex( 
repandly  spi nose-dentate,  coarsely  and  conspicuously 
reticulate-venulose  below;  nuts  spicate,  on  long,  slender 

peduncles,  small,  \  inch  long.      Net-leaf  Oak 

11.   Q.  reticulata. 

Ovate-oblong  or  oval,  small,  £  to  1  inch  long,  acute  at  apex, 
entire  or  remotely  spinose-dentate;  branchlets  rigid;  nut 

small.     New  and  rare.     Tourney  Oak 

12.  Q.  Toumeyi,  n.  sp. 
**  Leaves  dark  green. 

Oblong  or  obovate,  small,  entire  or  sinuate-toothed   or  lobed, 

pubescent   and   often   pale   below;    nut  small,   ovate  or 

oblong,  £  to  1  inch  long.    Scrub  Oak.   13.    Q.  dumosa. 

Oblong-lanceolate,    entire    or    repand-serrate,    coriaceous;    nut 

small,  narrow,  and  long,  f  to  1  inch,  edible.     Emory  Oak, 

"  Biotes." 14.    Q.   Emoryi. 

II.  Maturation   biennial;    nut  silky-tomentose  within;  abortive  ovules   basal  or 
lateral. 

(c)  Leaves  persistent.     (Live  Oaks.) 

Oblong  acute  or  cuspidate,  entire,  or  dentate,  or  sinuate-toothed, 
fulvous- tomentose,  ultimately  pale  on  lower  surface;  nut 
oblong,  1  to  2  inches  long,  scales  of  cup  usually  clothed 
with  short,  stiff  yellow  hairs.  Canyon  Live  Oak,  Maul 
Oak 15.  Q.  c.hrysolepis. 


158  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

Oblong-lanceolate,  acute,  crenate-dentate,  or  entire,  conspicu- 
ously veined,  tomentose  beneath;  cups  and  acorns  v en- 
large. An  insular  species.  Cotton-leaf  Oak 

16.  <£.   t»inci>telld. 
BLACK   OAKS. 

B.  Bark  dark,  often  nearly  black,  wood  reddish;  stamens  4  to  (i,  stigmas  on  long 
styles;  nut  mostly  hard-shelled  with  bitter  astringent  seeds,  inner  surface  of  nut. 
silky-tomcntose;  abortive  ovules  toward  apex  of  the  seed;  4  species. 

I.  Maturation  annual. 

Leaves  usually  persistent  until  the  appearance  of  the  new  crop. 
Oval,  orbicular  or  oblong,  entire  or  sinuately  spinose-dentate;  nut  ovate 
or  elongated  to  an  acute  point,  1  to  1£  inches  long.     Field  Oak.  . 

17.  V-  iif/t-iffifia. 

II.  Maturation  biennial. 

(a)  Leaves  persistent.     (Live  Oaks.) 

Lanceolate-oblong  or  elliptical,  entire  or  spinosely-dentate  toward  the  apex, 
coated  with  pale  or  fulvous  tomentum  on  lower  surface;  veins  very 
prominent;  nut  deeply  inserted  in  the  small  hemispherical  cup,  ovate 
to  oblong,  £  to  1  inch  long.  White-leaf  Oak  .  .  18.  (£.  hypoleuai. 

Oblong-lanceolate,  1  to  2  inches  long,  entire  or  sinuately  dentate,  dark  green 
and  lustrous  above;  firm,  coriaceous;  nut  slender,  tapering,  lineate,  J 
to  1J  inches  long.  Live  Oak 10.  <}.  Wislizeni. 

(b)  Leaves  deciduous. 

Oblong  or  obovate,  deeply  lobed,  lobes  tapering,  acute  or  broad  and 
obovate,  repand-dentate  or  entire,  glabrous  or  pubescent  when 
young;  nut  large,  oblong,  often  mostly  concealed  in  the  broad 
scaly  cup.  Black  Oak.  Kellogg  Oak.  '.  .  .  20.  Q.  .  California. 

Pasania  (CHESTNUT  OAKS). 

A  sub-generic  name  given  by  Oersted  to  a  group  of  Chestnut-like  Oaks  of 
eastern  Asia,  one  species  only  being  on  the  Western  Continent  and  that  in 
California.  Leaves  oval  or  elliptical,  coarsely  serrate,  often  large,  3  to  5  inches 
long,  staminate  flowers  in  long  aments,  large  and  erect;  nut  large,  often  sub- 
triangular  at  apex,  tomentose,  1  to  1£  inches  long;  shell  very  thick  and  hard. 
Chestnut  Oak.  Tan-bark  Oak 21.  Q.  ilnixifarit. 

DISTRIBUTION   OF   WESTERN    OAKS. 

IX     CALIFORNIA    12   SPECIES. 

Q.  Lobata,  Gai-rt/ann,  Breweri,  Sadlcriana,  Dougla.sii,,  Enqehnanni,  dumoaia,  rJiry.iolepifi, 
foment e.ll a,  Wixlizeni,  California.,  and  dmsiflora. 

CALIFORNIA    AND    NORTHWARD,    4   SPECIES. 

Q.   Garryatin,  Sadlerinint,  Calif  or  nicn,  and  densiflora. 

ONLY  'IN    CALIFORNIA,   4    Sl'KCIKS. 

Q.   L»bat<i,  ftrewf)-;,  Dougta*!.!.,  and  Enge.lm,anni. 

CALIFORNIA    AND    SOUTHWARD,    5    SPECIES. 

Q.  Dumosa,  chryftolepix,  and  var.  Palmer'^  tonicntelln,  agrifolin,  and  Wislizeni. 

MEXICAN    OAKS,    REACHING    ARIZONA    AND    NEW    MEXICO,    7    SPECIES. 

Q.   Gambelii,  undnlatn,  obhmgifolia,  retimlala,  Kmun/i,  tomentelta,  and  hypoleuca. 

ONLY     IN    ARIZONA,    2    SPECIES. 

Q.  Arizonica  and  Toumei/i. 


OAKS    OF    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  159 

OAKS  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

ALSO   OREGON    AND   WASHINGTON. 

1.  Quercus  lobata.     Nee,  1801.     VALLEY  OAK. 

Monarch  of  the  Pacific  tribe,  the  largest  and  most  conspicuous  of  the 
West-American  oaks,  is  60  to  80,  often  over  100  feet  high,  with  a  trunk 
5  to  8,  often  15  to  20  feet  in  diameter.  Dividing  often  near  the  base, 
the  large  branches  radiate  to  form  a  broad  head,  often  100  to  200  feet 
across.  Peculiar  for  its  large,  oblong,  deeply-lobed,  shining  leaves,  its 
long,  slender,  often  drooping,  sterile  branchlets,  resembling  a  weeping 
willow,  and  for  its  very  long,  narrow  acorns,  1^  to  2  inches  long.  Hook- 
er's Oak,  on  General  Bidwell's  farm  near  Chico,  Cal.  (named  in  honor 
of  Sir  Joseph  Hooker,  who  visited  the  tree,  with  Dr.  Asa  Gray,  in  1877), 
was  then  150  feet  in  spread  of  branches,  and  the  trunk  was  6^  feet  in. 
diameter.  In  Napa  and  Capay  Valleys  are  some  oaks  over  20  feet  in 
diameter,  and  with  a  spread  of  branches  that  might  shelter  a  regiment 
of  soldiers.* 

Found  in  the  valleys  of  western  California,  between  the  Sierras  and 
the  ocean  from  Redding  to  Tejon  Pass.  Seldom  forms  a  grove  by  itself, 
but  often  with  the  coast  Live  Oak  and  the  foot-hills  Blue  Oak,  it  forms 
large,  orchard-like  parks.  Small,  slender  trees,  with  never  a  drooping 
limb,  line  the  banks,  in  places,  of  the  low  coast  and  valley  rivers.  This 
oak  is  the  "Roble"  of  the  Spanish  Californians  and  Mexicans. 

2.  Quercus  Garryana.     Hook.,  1839:    PACIFIC  POST  OAK. 
Noble  trees  of  the  northwest,  60  to  70  feet  high,  with  erect  branches, 

forming  a  compact  head.      Noted  for  its  unusually  large    dark    green 
leaves    and  stately  trunks  not  concealed  by  drooping  branchlets,  as  in 


*The  first  voyager  that  has  given  us  his  impressions  of  this  noble  tree  is  Van- 
couver, who  entered  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  1792,  and,  casting  anchor,  prepared  to 
visit  the  Mission  at  Santa  Clara.  "We  had  not  proceeded  far,"  he  writes,  "when  we 
entered  a  country  I  little  expected  to  find.  For  about  twenty  miles  it  could  only  he 
compared  to  a  park  which  had  been  originally  closely  planted  with  the  true  old 
English  oak.  The  underwood— if  ever  there  were  any— had  been  cleared  away, 
leaving  the  stately  lords  of  the  forest  in  complete  possession  of  the  soil,  which  was 
covered  with  luxuriant  herbage  and  beautifully  diversified  with  pleasing  eminences 
and  valleys,  which,  with  the  range  of  lofty,  rugged  mountains  that  bounded  the 
prospect,  required  only  to  be  adorned  with  the  neat  habitations  of  an  industrious 
people  to  produce  a  scene  not  inferior  to  the  most  studied  eftects  of  taste  in  the 
disposal  of  park  grounds." 

A  year  earlier  the  Spanish  expedition,  under  Malaspina,  had  visited  the  coast, 
and  his  accompanying  naturalist,  Prof.  Louis  Nee,  collected  specimens  of  this  and 
other  trees,  publishing,  at  Madrid,  1801,  a  description  of  this  and  of  the  Field  Oak, 
giving  each  their  appropriate  names. 

11 


160  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

the  Valley  Oak.  Readily  distinguished  by  the  large  and  very  hairy 
branchlets  and  buds.  Has  a  long  but  narrow  habitat,  or  range,  near 
the  northern  coast  of  California,  the  largest  trees  but  a  few  miles  from 
the  ocean,  thence  extending  northward  across  western  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington to  the  borders  of  British  Columbia.* 

The  form  called  Q.  Gilberti,  Greene,  founded  upon  dense  thickets  of 
oak  on  the  islands  and  shores  of  Puget  Sound,  Sargent  regards  as  a 
depauperate  form  of  this  species  with  nearly  globular,  crumpled  leaves, 
the  flowers  and  fruit  unknown.  Also,  Q.  Jacobi,  A.  Brown,  with  ovate 
acorns  and  slightly  different  leaves,  is  thought  to  be  but  another  aberrant 
form.  i  y  r 

3.  Quercus  Douglassii.  Hooker  and  Amott.  1841.  DOUGLAS 
OAK,  BLUE  OAK. 

This  local  California  oak  is  readily  recognized  by  its  small  light  green 
or  bluish  leaves,  and  its  very  light  gray  colored  bark  on  trees  growing 
on  exposed  hillsides,  or  darker  in  sheltered  places,  and  by  its  location, 
throughout  middle  California,  becoming  trees  20  to  30  feet  high  on 
the  foot-hills  and  slopes  of  the  Coast  Ranges  and  the  western  slope  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada.** 

The  large  acorns  of  the  Douglas  oak  are  collected  by  the  "Carpin- 
tero,"  or  carpenter  woodpecker  (Melanerpes  formicivorus) ,  which  ex- 
cavates holes  in  the  bark  or  exposed  wood  of  trees  in  which  to  insert 
these  acorns,  leaving  them  there  until  the  larva  of  a  beetle  which 
infests  them  has  grown  large  enough  to  furnish  his  store-room  with 
a  season's  bounteous  supply  of  fresh  canned  meats.  The  acorns  of 
other  white  oaks,  notably  those  of  the  Valley  Oak,  are  treated  similarly 
by  this  provident  bird. 

This  very  showy,  gray-leaved  oak  was  first  collected  near  Monterey 


*Tbe  type  of  the  species  was  discovered  by  Dr.  Archibald  Menzies,  surgeon  of 
Vancouver's  Expedition  to  Puget  Sound,  but  not  published  until  after  its  discovery 
by  Douglas,  who  named  it  in  honor  of  Nicholas  Garry,  secretary  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company;  but  Dr.  William  Hooker  published  the  description  1840,  hence  he  is  to  be 
credited  as  the  author  of  the  name,  according  to  the  modern  rules. 

**Iu  connection  with  his  description  of  the  Douglas  Oak  in  Sylva  of  North 
America,  Professor  Sargent  offers  this  graceful  tribute  to  the  intelligent  services  of 
one  of  California's  most  industrious  and  scientific  workers.  "Miss  Eastwood,  the 
curator  of  the  Botanical  Department  of  the  California  Academy  of  Sciences,  has 
been  of  great  assistance  to  me  with  her  unrivaled  collection  of  California  oaks,  made 
mostly  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state. ';  The  writer  has  learned  that  the  number 
of  papers  of  mounted  oak  specimens  in  the  Academy  Herbarium  exceeds  four 
hundred -mostly  the  collection  of  Miss  Alice  Eastwood,  whom  Prof.  P.  A.  Kydberg 
purposes  to  justly  honor  by  naming  a  pretty  oak  ot  her  recent  discovery  in  southern 
Utah,  QuercuH  Kuxtii-,, <„!„'.  sp.  nov. 


OAKS  OF  PACIFIC  SLOPE.  161 

by  David  Douglas,*  the  indefatigable  and  successful  Scotch  botanist 
and  explorer,  in  1832.  The  species  was  named  in  his  honor  by  Hooker 
and  Arnott,  in  1841. 

4.  Quercus  Chrysolepis.  Lieb.  1849.  GOLDEN  LEAF  OAK, 
MAUL  OAK. 

This  canon-loving,  dark-foliaged  oak  of  the  western  slopes  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  where  it  often  becomes  a  tree  20  to  40  feet  high,  dimin- 
ishing to  a  low-spreading  bush  on  the  higher  elevations,  is  generally 
at  once  recognized  by  its  long,  narrow  leaves,  colored  yellow  beneath 
when  young,  with  fulvous  tomentum  or  yellow  plant  hairs.  The  usually 
large  acorn  cups  are  also  densely  clothed  with  short,  brittle,  golden  hairs 
that  leave  yellow  stripes  upon  the  clothing  of  intruding  visitors.  The 
timber  of  this  tree  is  strong  and  durable,  and  is  used  for  various 
manufacturing  purposes. 

The  typical  form  of  this  species  was  first  collected  by  Karl  Theodor 
Hartweg,  "on  the  hills  back  of  Monterey,"  in  1846.  Mr.  Hartweg  was 
one  of  the  earliest  explorers  to  visit  California,  with  Mr.  Lobb,  1846  to 
1850,  collecting  mostly  in  the  vicinity  of  Monterey  Bay,  finding  many 
plants  the  seeds  of  which  were  sent  abroad  for  propagation. 

Variety,  vaccinifolia  (Kellogg),  Engelm.,  1877.       ALPINE  OAK. 

This  Alpine  oak  is  the  low,  bushy  form  found  nearly  up  to  timber  line 
on  the  Sierra  peaks,  with  small,  pale,  nearly  smooth  leaves  and  acorn 
cups,  and  was  considered  a  distinct  species  by  Dr.  Kellogg,  but  inter- 
mediate forms  grade  down  to  the  typical  tree  in  its  best  estate. 

Variety,  Palmeri  (Engelm.),  Sargent,  1879.       PALMER    OAK. 

Near  the  Mexican  boundar}^  line  in  San  Diego,  Cal.,  Dr.  Edward 
Palmer**  discovered,  1875,  dense  thickets  of  a  scrubby  oak  with  rigid 
branchlets,  leaves  oblong  or  mostly  orbicular,  coriaceous,  and  spinose- 
<lentate,  acorns  ovate  acuminate,  1^  inches  long.  Kegarded  by  Engel- 
mann  and  Greene  as  a  good  species,  but  referred  as  a  variety  by  Sargent. 

*No  description  of  western  trees,  especially  of  the  cone-bearing  famih*,  can  be 
written  without  more  or  less  allusion  to  Mr.  Douglas.  A  brief  account  of  him  (in 
connection  with  his  discovery  of  the  Sugar  Pine)  is  given  in  the  report  of  the  writer 
as  the  botanist  for  the  2d  Biennial  Rep.  of  the  Cal.  State  Board  of  Forestry,  pages 
81-82,  1887-1888.  He  discovered  seven  of  our  cone-bearers,  one  of  the  noblest  of 
which,  the  Douglas  Spruce  (though  sparsely  collected  before),  was  given  his  name, 
1855,  and  it  is  still  retained  for  popular  use. 

**Edward  Palmer  was  born  at  Wilton,  Eng.,  1833.  His  father  was  a  florist, 
giving  the  son  an  early  knowledge  of  flower  culture.  He  came  to  America  in  1849, 
setting  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  occupied  as  a  private  nurse  for  a  gentleman  whose  friend, 
having  line  gardens,  afforded  young  Palmer  many  privileges  of  examination  and  study. 
In  1853  he  was  appointed  collector  of  an  expedition  sent  to  Paraguay.  Two  years 


162  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL   CONGRESS. 

5.  Quercus  Engelmanni.     Greene,  1889.    ENGELMANN  OAK. 

This  evergreen  oak  is  but  little  known,  owing  to  its  limited  home — 
a  narrow  belt  about  50  miles  wide  in  southwestern  California,  from 
Sierra  Madre  to  within  15  or  20  miles  from  the  coast.  It  is  a  hand- 
some tree,  becoming  40  to  60  feet  high,  with  a  diameter  of  2  to  3 
feet.  The  branches  are  stout  and  spreading,  bark  light  gray  and  deeply 
fissured,  the  leaves  blue-green  and  oblong,  2  to  3  inches  long.  Trees  of 
this  species  were  seen  by  Dr.  C.  C.  Parry  as  early  as  1850.  Others  collect- 
ing specimens  of  it  since  have  referred  the  species  to  a  similar  tree 
in  Arizona,  Q.  oblongifolia,  but  our  tree  has  darker  bark,  thicker  leaves, 
larger  acorns,  and  the  seeds  are  conspicuously  yellow.  A  fine  California 
oak,  recently  described  (1889)  and  figured  in  West- American  oaks,  by 
Prof.  Greene,  and  dedicated  to  that  most  profound  student  of  Ameri- 
can oaks — Dr.  Engelmann.* 


later  returned  to  Cleveland  and  obtained  some  instruction  in  medicine.  In  1864  he 
came  to  California,  connecting  himself  with  the  Geological  Survey  of  California,  and 
was  stationed  at  San  Diego.  Wishing  to  take  some  part  in  the  Civil  War,  he  went 
back  east  and  was  appointed  hospital  steward  in  a  Colorado  regiment,  and  served  with 
it  for  a  year,  when  he  was  appointed  contract  surgeon  and  stationed  in  Kansas,  where 
he  began  the  real  work  of  his  life  as  a  collector  of  objects  in  natural  history.  Leav- 
ing the  army,  he  engaged  in  extensive  exploration.  Employed  by  the  Smithsonian 
Institute  and  the  Agricultural  Department  for  many  years,  he  collected  several 
important  and  valuable  plants  from  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  many 
interior  Mexican  states,  as  well  as  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  United  States. 
Dr.  Palmer's  arduous  labors  and  privations  have  been  recognized  by  the  dedication  of 
a  genus  Palmerella,  growing  near  Santa  Barbara,  and  by  species  of  plants  in  many 
other  genera,  including  this  of  the  Oaks. 

*Dr.  George  Engelmann,  born  1809,  at  Prankfort-on-the-Main,  early  became  a 
teacher,  entered  Heidelberg,  took  a  degree  in  medicine  at  Wurzburg,  studied  natural 
history  with  Agassiz  and  Braun,  came  to  America,  and  soon  established  himself  in 
St.  Louis,  where  he  became  a  very  successful  physician,  from  which  absorbing  profes- 
sion he  snatched  a  few  hours  from  time  to  time  for  the  study  of  botany,  choosing  the 
most  difficult  groups  of  plants,  such  as  Cactacea,  Cuscuta,  Yucca,  Agave,  and  the 
Conifers  generally.  Nearly  all  his  life  a  closet  botanist,  but  visiting  Europe  several 
times  to  consult  specialists  and  examine  herbaria,  it  was  only  toward  the  end  of  his 
career  that  he  was  able  to  see  with  his  own  eyes  living  individuals  of  the  many  western 
plants  he  had  first  made  known  to  science.  He  visited  California  1878,  with  Professor 
Sargent  and  Dr.  Parry,  to  study  our  trees;  their  size  and  number  filling  him  with 
amazement.  Dr.  Engelmann  was  a  many-sided  man;  he  kept  a  careful  record  of 
meteorological  data  for  forty-eight  years— practically  a  half  century— in  the  hope  that 
he  could  discover  some  periods  of  hot  or  cold,  of  wet  or  dry  seasons,  but  was  com- 
pelled to  state  that  he  "had  learned  nothing  of  the  laws  of  nature  in  regard  to 
weather."  After  a  long  life  of  almost  matchless  activity  and  research,  the  end  came 
1884. 

Dr.  Engelmann's  writings,  collected  and  published  by  his  son,  make  a  thick 
volume  on  subjects  that  left  but  little  to  learn  by  others.  His  name  will  be 
preserved  by  the  genus  Engdmannia,  a  large,  handsome  yellow  flower  of  the  western 


OAKS  OF  PACIFIC  SLOPE.  163 

6.  Quercus  agrifolia.     Nee,  1801.    FIELD  OAK,  "ENCENA." 
This  well-known,  dark-barked,  prickly-leaved,  low-browed  oak  is  com- 
mon in  the  coast  region  of  central  California,  especially  about  the  Bay 
of  San  Francisco,  where  it  attains  its  largest  size,   20  to  40  feet  in 
height,  if  sheltered  from  the  ocean  gales;  but  in  exposed  localities  the 
saplings  are  early  assaulted  by  the  winds,  and  as  the  tree  divides  near 
the  base  into  diverging  branches,  they  are  overborne,  those  on  the  lea 
side  often  resting  their  elbows  on  the  ground,   while  the  branchlets 
are    prolonged   year   after   year,    in   the   direction   of    least    resistance 
away  from   the    sea.      Trees  are   known   to  creep   in   this   manner  fifty 
feet  or  more.     Owing  to  its  nearness  to  Monterey  Bay,  one  of  the  first 
harbors  on  the  coast  to  be  visited  by  European  explorers,  this  was  the 
first  oak  discovered,  1791,  by  Prof.  Louis  Nee,  a  French  botanist  with 
the  Spanish  expedition  of  Malaspina.     Aside  from  the  publication  at 
Madrid,  1801,  of  this  oak  with  the  Valley  Oak  and  other  plants  collected 
on  this  expedition,  little  is  known  of  this,  the  first  naturalist  to  make 
known  to  the  reading  world  in  technical  language  the  vegetable  wealth 
of  the  Pacific  slope. 

Prof.  Sargent,  in  his  Sylva,  writes  of  this  oak:  "The  valleys  and 
low  hills  of  the  California  coast  owe  their  greatest  charm  to  this  oak 
tree,  which,  dotting  their  covering  of  vernal  green  or  their  brown  sum- 
mer surface  with  its  low,  broad  heads  of  pale,  contorted  branches,  and 
dense,  dark  foliage,  gives  them  the  appearance  of  incomparably  beauti- 
ful parks."  The  classic  oaks  of  Berkeley  belong  to  this  species. 

7.  Quercus  Wislizeni.     A.  de  Candolle,  1864.     LIVE  OAK. 

A  fine  black  oak,  often  50  to  80  feet  high,  trunk  short  but  frequently 
thick,  4  to  6  feet  in  diameter,  branches  spreading,  forming  a  rounded 
top;  bark  thick,  2  to  3  inches.  Headquarters  in  middle  California, 
extending  from  the  lower  slopes  of  Mt.  Shasta  southward  through  the 
Coast  Ranges  to  Santa  Lucia  Mountains,  shrubby  forms  continuing 
on  the  southern  mountains  to  the  peninsula  of  California,  also  on  a 
few  of  the  Channel  Islands.  On  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
it  mingles  with  the  Douglas  Oak,  in  sharp  contrast  of  color;  and,  lower 
down,  with  the  Valley  Oak,  from  which  its  small,  oblong,  entire,  dark 
green  leaves  readily  distinguish  it.  At  flowering-time,  as  Prof.  Jepson 
writes,  "The  aments  from  a  terminal  bud  or  a  cluster  of  buds  a're  often 
so  numerous  and  large  as  to  transform  the  appearance  of  the  tree,  in 
April  or  May,  imparting  to  the  crown  a  singularly  soft  and  billowy 
yellow-green  appearance."  First  discovered  by  Fremont  in  the  Sierra 

plains;  by  the  handsomest  of  the  spruce  trees  of  the  Kocky  Mountains;  by  a  conspic- 
uous cactus  of  the  deserts  of  the  southwest,  and  by  hosts  of  smaller  plants;  and  also 
it  will  be  held  in  honored  remembrance  so  long  as  the  trees  of  the  New  World  remain 
a  subject  of  interest  to  students. 


164  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

Nevada,  but  described  from  specimens  collected  by  Dr.  F.  A.  Wislizenius, 
on  the  American  River.  This  beautiful  oak  commemorates  the  labors 
of  another  early  and  successful  explorer  of  western  America,  especially 
the  southern  portion  of  Xew  Mexico  and  Arizona,  and  in  Mexico,  where 
the  doctor  collected  many  plants  new  to  science,  including  a  curious 
genus  of  the  Capar  family,  named  Wislizenia,  in  his  honor. 

8.  Quercus  Californica.  Cooper,  1859.  KELLOGG  OAK,  BLACK 
OAK. 

This  most  interesting  of  the  California  black  oaks  is  at  once  dis- 
tinguished by  its  very  dark,  smooth  bark  (while  young),  and  its  large, 
deeply-lobed  leaves,  each  lobe  tipped  with  a  |-inch  bristle.  With  head- 
quarters in  northern  California  and  southern  Oregon,  where  it  often 
attains  a  height  of  80  to  100  feet  and  a  diameter  of  2  to  4  feet,  this 
tree  ranges  from  the  basin  of  McKenzie's  Eiver,  in  northern  Oregon , 
southward  through  the  Coast  Ranges  and  along  the  western  slope  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  which  it  ascends •  7,000  to  8,000  feet;  to  the  San  Ber- 
nardino Mountains  and  others  of  San  Diego  County,  its  limit  being  on 
the  Cuyamaca  Mountains.  Low,  scrubby  bushes  with  small  leaves  and 
acorns,  not  reported  hitherto  by  botanists,  were  among  the  first  of  the 
discoveries  of  the  writer  in  Sierra  Valley,  on  the  east  slope  cf  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  and  may  be  designated  as  var.  transmontana. 

This  noble  tree  was  first  collected  by  Hartweg,  1846,  near  Sonora. 
Dr.  John  Torrey  referred  it,  1856,  to  Quercus  tinctoria,  as  var.  Califor- 
nica. Dr.  J.  S.  Newberry,  deciding  it  to  be  a  distinct  species,  named 
it,  1857,  Quercus  Kelloggii,  in  honor  of  California's  pioneer  botanist, 
Dr.  Albert  Kellogg.*  Under  the  rules  of  nomenclature  demanding  that 
the  first  applicable  name  given  it  must  be  accepted,  Californica  must 
be  the  specific  name  of  this  oak — and,  incidentally,  it  was  published  as 
Quercus  Californica  by  Dr.  Cooper,  1859.  However,  California  bota- 
nists, hailing  with  delight  the  name  of  Kelloggii,  have  held  to  its  use 
until  a  late  date ;  while  the  general  public  has  indelibly  fixed  the  popu- 
lar English  name  of  this  interesting  tree  as  the  "Kellogg  oak." 

*"Good  Dr.  Kellogg,"  as  he  was  called,  well  deserved  this  honor,  being  a  true- 
hearted,  industrious,  and  successful  botanist.  Coming  to  California  in  1849,  he  had 
matchless  opportunities  in  botanical  research.  With  seven  others  he  helped  to  found 
the  California  Academy  of  Sciences  and  early  became  curator  of  the  herbarium,  a 
position  held  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  1887,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four  years.  He  made  several  botanical  excursions  up  and  down  the  coast,  including 
one  to  Alaska.  Discovering  many  plants  new  to  science,  he  had  the  privilege  of 
naming  a  marked  variety  of  the  Kellogg  Oak  (Q.  Californica,  var.  Morehtts),  three 
species  of  ceanothus.  three  of  lily  (including  the  magnificent  Lady  Washington  of 
the  High  Sierra),  and  scores  of  smaller  plants.  A  Galium-like  genus,  Kelloggia.  found 
on  the  mid-Sierra  slopes,  was  dedicated  to  him  by  Dr.  Torrey,  and  this  with  his  many 
botanical  papers  will  preserve  the  memory  of  this  gentle-spirited  lover  of  nature  as 
long  as  California  plants  are  collected  and  studied. 


OAKS    OF    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  165 

9.  Quercus  densiflora.  Hooker  and  Arnott.  1841.  TAN  BARK 
OAK.  CHESTNUT  OAK. 

This  beautiful  and  curious  species — resembling  a  chestnut  as  much 
as  it  does  an  oak — becomes  in  its  headquarters  along  the  streams  in  Marin 
County,  a  tree  40  to  60  feet  high,  with  a  trunk  2  to  5  feet  in  diameter. 
It  ranges  from  Umpqua  Eiver,  in  northern  Oregon,  where  it  is  reduced 
to  a  small  tree  but  a  few  feet  high  (var.  echinacea),  southward  along 
the  Coast  Ranges  to  the  Santa  Inez  Mountains,  of  southern  California ; 
also,  it  is  found  on  the  west  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  to  an  elevation 
of  4,000  feet.  Peculiar  for  its  large,  long  (3  to  4  inches),  and  erect 
male  flowers,  its  chestnut -like  leaves,  and  the  characters  of  the  acorn 
cup,  the  scales  of  the  typical  oak  being  replaced  by  fleshy  awl-shaped 
spurs,  i  to  |  inch  long,  divergent  or  recurved.  The  nut,  also,  is  pecul- 
iar, being  somewhat  triangular,  looking  from  above,  and  it  is  covered 
with  a  dense  coat  of  very  short  brown  hairs. 

Whenever  this  species  attains  the  dimensions  of  a  tree,  small  or 
large,  as  Dr.  Kellogg  remarks,  "It  is  the  most  regular  and  symmetrical 
of  oaks;"  and  Prof.  Sargent  states:  "No  oak  of  western  America  excels 
the  best  representatives  of  this  species  in  massive  beauty  of  outline  or  in 
richness  of  color.  In  early  spring  the  elongated  tender  shoots  and 
unfolding  leaves,  coated  with  white  hairs,  appearing  like  masses  of 
flowers  against  the  dark  background  of  older  leaves,  light  up  the  conifer- 
ous forests  with  a  beauty  all  its  own." 

The  large  proportion  of  tannin  which  the  bark  contains  renders  it 
one  of  the  most  useful  of  our  trees,  and  the  many  cargoes  of  this  bark 
which  are  annually  loaded  at  San  Francisco  from  the  northern  coast 
regions  would  make  botanists  apprehensive  of  the  early  extinction  of 
this  beautiful  tree,  Avere  it  not  for  the  knowledge  that  the  stumps  left 
by  the  bark  Imnter  sprout  readily  from  the  base — so  continuing  the 
life  of  the  species  in  the  same  manner  as  that  by  which  the  Coast  TCed- 
wood  is  preserved. 

The  tan-bark  oak  is  the  only  representative  in  America  of  a  peculiar 
group  of  trees  found  in  central  and  eastern  Asia,  in  which  are  combined 
the  characters  of  the  oak  and  chestnut;  and  from  this  circumstance  it 
suggests,  first,  a  common  origin  long  ago,  in  the  Arctic  region  per- 
haps, from  whence  the  two  forms  have  widely  diverged;  and,  second, 
a  lower  formative  state  of  the  line  of  development  before  it  became  a 
fully-equipped  oak.  This  species  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  inhab- 
itants of  the  forests  of  the  United  States. 

The  group  of  chestnut-like  oaks  to  which  this  species  belongs  was 
erected  into  a  sub-genus  by  Prof.  Oersted,  and  named  Pasania* 

*The  separation  of  this  group  of  trees  from  the  genus  Quercnx  by  Oersted,  is  but 
in  accordance  with  the  progress  of  botanical  science  which  divides  and  subdivides,  if 


166  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

10.  Quercus  Breweriana.     Engelm,  1880.     BREWER  OAK. 

A  low-spreading  bush  or  becoming  a  small  tree,  forming  thickets  on 
the  western  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  from  near  the  northern  border 
of  the  state  of  California  south  to  Tulare  County.  On  the  upper  San 
Joaquin,  at  an  elevation  of  5,000  to  6,000  feet,  forming  vast,  almost 
impenetrable  thickets,  the  slender  stems,  12  to  18  feet  high,  standing 
for  miles  as  evenly  as  a  field  of  wheat.  Discovered  1862,  on  a  ridge 
near  Mt.  Shasta,  by  Prof.  Brewer.*  Collected  in  the  vicinity,  1867, 
by  the  writer,  whose  full  specimens  sent  to  Dr.  Engelmann  decided  him 
to  regard  it  as  an  undescribed  species.  Prof.  Greene  refers  this  to 
another  species,  Q.  Oerstediana,  R.  Brown,  but  Prof.  Sargent  regards 
this  reference  as  decidedly  incorrect. 

11.  Quercus  Sadleriana.     Brown,  1871.     SADLER  OAK. 

A  shrub  3  to  6  feet  high,  forming  extensive  thickets  on  the  high 
slopes  of  a  limited  region  in  northwestern  California  and  southwestern 
Oregon,  mostly  on  the  Siskiyou  Mountains.  Discovered,  1852,  by  John 
Jeffrey,  the  Scotch  gardener,  who  collected  a  sterile  branch  only,  while 
the  full  characters  remained  to  be  discovered  by  R.  Brown,  1862,  on 
the  Crescent.  City  trail  near  the  Oregon  line.  Leaves  resembling  those 
of  the  chestnut,  but  thinner. 

necessary,  the  early-named  groups  as  required  for  exact  classification.  The  small 
group  of  trees  in  question  have  almost  perfect  chestnut-like  leaves,  large,  long,  and 
erect  staminate  flowers,  fruit  cases  or  cups  clothed  with  long,  half-inch,  subulate 
appendages  in  place  of  scales.  The  nuts  are  broad  and  short  and  often  slightly  tri- 
angular at  the  apex — these  marked  characters  clearly  determining  that,  as  Prof. 
Greene  says,  "This  peculiar  species  of  tree  is  as  near  to  the  chestnut  as  to  the  oak." 
But  as  this  tree  is  neither  one  nor  the  other,  and  quite  distinct,  very  properly  it  may 
be  regarded  as  entitled  to  generic  rank,  when  our  species  would  have  to  be  named 
Pasania  densiflora,  nom.  nov.  California  Chestnut  Oak. 

*Prof.  Wm.  Henry  Brewer  was  born  in  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  1828.  At  an 
early  age  he  showed  a  fondness  for  natural  scenery  and  botanical  objects,  obtained  a 
college  education,  and  early  took  a  chair  in  the  Sheffield  Science  School,  at  Yale 
University,  a  position  he  still  occupies.  In  1860  he  was  appointed  first  assistant  of 
the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  of  California,  and  came  out  with  a  party,  of  which 
Prof.  J.  D.  Whitney  was  chief.  California  was  quite  thoroughly  explored  from  1860 
to  1864.  Professor  Brewer  was  the  first  to  botanize  the  High  Sierra  to  any  extent, 
gathering  plants  and  taking  notes.  He  subsequently  studied  the  plants  for  the  Botany 
of  California,  issued  1876,  by  Brewer,  Watson,  and  Gray.  Professor  Sargent  writes 
of  him:  "Professor  Brewer  rendered  very  important  services  in  elucidating  the  Flora 
of  California,  exploring  the  high  peaks  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  the  remotest  fastnesses 
of  which  he  explored,  crossing  and  recrossing  the  passes,  rewarded  by  having  one  of 
the  highest  peaks  named  Mt.  Brewer,"  and,  as  a  farther  title  to  immortality,  the  writer 
would  add  his  name  was  given  to  a  lovely  Weeping  Spruce,  Picea  Breweriana, 
\\  atson,  of  which  Mr.  Thomas  Howell,  of  Sauvis  Island,  Oregon,  gathered  full  speci- 
mens 1885,  on  the  Siskiyou  Mountains,  but  meager  specimens  (without  fruit)  had 
been  collected  1863,  on  the  top  of  Black  Butte  or  Muir's  Peak  near  Mt.  Shasta,  by 
Professor  Brewer,  so  the  honor  of  its  first  discovery  came  to  him. 


OAKS    OF    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  167 

The  writer  collected  specimens  of  this  species  near  the  locality  of 
the  Weeping  Spruce,  1887,  but  a  sudden  storm  of  rain  prevented  their 
preservation.  Prof.  Brown  named  this  oak  in  honor  of  John  Sadler, 
born  1837,  in  Scotland,  an  associate  of  Prof.  Balfour,  and  in  1862 
secretary  of  the'  Arboricultural  Society  of  Scotland.  He  traveled  ex- 
tensively, and  made  many  discoveries  of  new  stations  of  plants  in  Great 
Britain. 

12.  Quercus  dumosa.     Nutt,  1842.     SCRUB  OAK. 

An  intricately-branched  shrub  with  stout  stems,  forming  dense 
thickets,  or  in  canons,  becoming  tree-like,  very  variable,  and  several 
forms  have  received  other  names.  Western  slopes  of  Sierra  Nevada, 
common  south  of  San  Francisco  to  San  Bernardino  Mountains,  and  on 
the  Channel  Islands,  where  it  attains  its  largest  size.  Var.  revoluta, 
Sargent,  is  the  form  common  north  of  San  Francisco. 

This  shrub  oak,  with  Brewer's  and  Sadler's,  comprise  the  small  spe- 
cies of  oak  in  California,  and  complete  the  number  of  12  species  of  oak 
found  in  California  and  northward. 


SOUTHERN  OAKS. 

MOSTLY    IN    ARIZONA    AND     NEW    MEXICO. 

1.  Quercus  Emoryi.     Torrey,  1848.     EMORY  OAK. 

The  most  abundant  oak  in  Arizona  and  vicinity,  forming  a  large 
part  of  the  open  forests  on  the  mountain-sides.  On  low  ground  becom- 
ing a  tree  30  to  80  feet  high,  diminishing  to  low,  scraggy  bushes  at  upper 
limits.  Distinguished  by  its  dark  brown  bark  (which  caused  it  to  be 
at  first  classed  with  the  black  oaks),  its  rigid  branchlets,  dark  green, 
oblong,  acute,  leathery  leaves,  and  its  small,  narrow,  sweet  acorns,  called 
by  the  Mexicans  "Biotes,"  and  gathered  in  great  quantities  for  food. 
Discovered,  1846,  by  Col.  W.  H.  Emory,  commanding  a  government 
exploring  expedition  across  the  continent  from  Santa  Fe  to  San  Diego, 
collecting  160  species  of  plants,  including  this,  one  of  the  most,  beautiful 
and  useful  oaks  of  the  region. 

2.  Quercus  oblongifolia.     Torrey,  1853.     EVERGREEN  OAK. 
Another  oak  of  nearly  the  same  range,  especially  south  of  the  great 

plateau  of  Colorado.  Recognized  by  its  pale  checkered  bark,  round  com- 
pact head,  and  light  blue  foliage.  In  favorable  situations  becoming 
trees  20  to  30  feet  high.  At  lower  stations  it  mingles  with  the  dark 
Emory  oak  in  pleasing  contrast.  Discovered  1851,  by  Dr.  S.  W.  Wood- 
house,  botanist  of  Capt.  Sitgreaves'  expedition  to  the  Zuni  and  Colorado 
Rivers.  Dr.  Woodhouse  collected  animals  as  well  as  plants,  making 
a  valuable  collection  preserved  in  Smithsonian  Institute. 


168  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

3.  Quercus  undulata.     Turrey,  1828.     ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  OAK. 
This,  the  easternmost  of  our  western  oaks,  is  found  abundantly  on 

the  eastern  foothills  of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  forming  thickets  of 
vigorous  stolons  or  traveling  sprouts  2  to  3  feet  high,  extending  to  Utah 
and  southern  Nevada,  southward  to  New  Mexico  and 'Arizona,  where 
it  becomes  trees  20  to  30  feet  high.  Known  by  its  small,  wavy,  often 
spinescent  leaves.  Quite  variable,  some  of  its  forms  receiving  distinct 
names;  as,  Q.  pungens,  Q.  Fendleri,  Q.  grisea,  and  Q.  turbinella.  Dis- 
covered by  Dr.  Edwin  James,  botanist  of  Major  Long's  expedition  to 
explore  Rocky  Mountains.  The  doctor's  rich  collection  included  also  the 
Rocky  Mountain  white  pine,  Piniis  flexilis. 

4.  Quercus  Gambelii.     Nuttall,  1848.     GAHBEL  OAK. 

Another  of  the  small  oaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  extending  west- 
ward to  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  of  Utah,  thence  southward  in  larger 
forms  to  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  on  the  summits  of  mountains.  Dis- 
tinguished by  its  large  dark  green  and  deeply-lobed  leaves,  and  its  dark 
gray,  deeply-fissured  bark.  Discovered  1844,  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  by  Wm.  Gambel,  an  early  student  with  Nuttall,  and  botanist 
of  a  party  that  explored  largely  in  the  southwest.  He  joined  Capt. 
disaster  of  imprisonment  by  an  early  snowfall  in  a  pass  of  the  Sierra. 
Boone's  party  of  gold  seekers,  1849,  and  shared  with  them  in  the  fatal 

Sargent  regards  Greene's  Q.  venustula  as  belonging  here,  a  beautiful 
shrub  with  less-lobed  leaves  and  very  small  acorns,  on  mountains  of 
southern  Colorado  and  northern  New  Mexico. 

5.  Quercus  reticulata.     H.  &  B.,  1807.     NET-LEAF  OAK. 

One  of  the  large  trees  of  Mexico,  20  to  30  feet  high,  that  extends  in 
smaller  forms  into  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  as  a  very  showy  shrub  on 
high  elevations.  At  once  detected  by  its  oblong  or  nearly  round,  thick, 
leathery  leaves,  which  are  strongly  net-veined  beneath,  and  its  generally, 
many-fruited  spikes  of  fruit,  1  to  5  inches  long.  American  specimens 
first  discovered  1874,  on  Mt,  Graham,  9,500  feet  altitude,  in  northern 
Arizona,  by  Dr.  J.  T.  Rothrock,  and  soon  after  by  other  explorers,  includ- 
ing the  writer,  on  same  mountain  and  on  Santa  Catalina,  Santa  Rita, 
Chirricahua,  and  Huachuca  Mountains.  This  pretty  oak  would  be  a 
prize  if  it  could  be  cultivated,  and  experiments  should  be  made  to 
determine. 

6.  Quercus  hypoleuca.     Engelm,  1876.     WHITE-LEAF  OAK. 

Another  beautiful  black  oak  of  Mexico,  inhabiting,  also,  the  moun- 
tains of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  south  of  the  Colorado  plateau,  where 
it  becomes  a  tree  20  to  40  feet  high.  Distinguished  by  its  lanceolate, 
thick  leaves,  which  are  densely  clothed  beneath  with  short,  white  hairs, 
the  veins  prominent,  often  reddish.  Discovered  1851,  by  Charles  Wright, 
ene  of  the  most  successful  botanists  of  the  Mexican  Boundary  Survey. 


OAKS    OF    PACIFIC    SLOPE.  169> 

The  foliage  of  this  and  the  preceding  species  is  as  striking  and  beauti- 
ful as  that  of  any  oak  in  cultivation. 

7.  Quercus  tomentella.     Engelm,  1877.     COTTON-LEAF  OAK. 

A  little-known  oak  on  the  Channel  Islands  of  Santa  Barbara  and  the 
far-distant  Guadaloupe  Island  off  the  coast  of  the  California  peninsula. 
Found  generally  in  deep,  narrow  canons,  and  threatened  with  extinction. 

Prof.  Sargent  writes  of  this  oak :  "It  is  possible  that  this  once  grew 
to  a  large  size.  The  only  specimens  I  saw  were  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  Santa  Catalina  Island,  south  of  Avalon,  where  there  is  a  small 
grove  of  stems  about  30  feet  high,  in  a  circle  11  feet  in  diameter,  evi- 
dently shoots  from  a  large  tree."  Discovered  1875,  on  a  bleak  crest  of 
Guadaloupe  Island,  by  Dr.  Edward  Palmer,  the  distinguished  traveler 
and  collector. 

8.  Quercus  Arizonica.     Sargent,  1895.     ARIZONA  WHITE  OAK. 
This  is  the  most  common  and  widely-distributed  white  oak  of  southern 

Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  covering,  with  the  Emory  oak,  the  slopes  and 
canons  of  the  mountains  up  to  an  elevation  of  5,000  to  10,000  feet.  Long 
been  confounded  with  the  Eocky  Mountain  oak,  but  distinctly  separated 
by  its  pale  bark  and  shapely  head  of  bright  foliage,  with  large  leaves 
net-veined  below.  "To  this  tree,"  Sargent  states,  "is  due  much  of  the 
beauty  of  the  forest  covering  Arizona  mountains  where  the  Emory  oak 
is  the  only  broad-leaved  tree  that  exceeds  it  in  abundance." 

9.  Quercus  Toumeyi.     Sargent,  1895.     TOUMEY  OAK. 

This  little  oak  is  the  most  limited  and  local  of  any  species  in  the 
regions  of  the  Pacific  slope.  Inhabiting  one  side  of  a  single  moun- 
tain— Mule  Mountain,  in  Cochise  County,  southeastern  Arizona — 
it  forms  stunted  open  forests  between  a  belt  of  the  Emory  Oak  and  the 
summit.  The  small,  ovate,  thick  leaves,  the  small  fruit,  and  limited  sta- 
tion serve  to  distinguish  the  species.  Discovered  1894,  by  Prof.  Tou- 
rney,* and  published  with  a  plate  by  Prof.  Sargent  the  following  year. 


*  James  Wm.  Tourney  was  born  in  Van  Buren  Co..  Michigan,  graduated  from 
Michigan  Agricultural  College  1889,  becoming  a  year  later  Assistant  Professor  of 
Botany  in  that  institution.  Appointed  Professor  of  Botany  and  Entomology  in  the 
University  of  Arizona  at  Tucson,  1881.  Becoming  absorbingly  interested  in  the 
flora  of  that  territory,  he  has  explored  carefully  certain  little-known  regions, 
rewarded  by  many  important  discoveries,  crowned  by  this  latest  and  best.  He  is  now 
in  charge  of  the  Forest  Tree  Cultivation  Bureau  at  Washington,  and  has  issued  in- 
structive bulletins  on  the  subject. 

Lemmon  Herbarium,  Oakland,  Gal.,  Dec.,  1901. 


]70  PACIFIC    STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

ROSE   GROWING  IN   OREGON.  ' 

BY  FREDERICK  V.  HOLMAN. 

The  state  of  Oregon  is  divided  into  two  great  parts  by  the  Cascade 
Mountains,  which  run  from  the  southern  boundary  of  Oregon  north 
through  the  state  of  Washington  into  British  Columbia.  The  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains  are  the  southerly  part  of  this  great  range. 

In  eastern  Oregon  the  climate  is  comparatively  dry ;  in  summer  it  is 
hotter  and  in  winter  it  is  colder  than  western  Oregon.  The  great  height 
of  the  Cascade  Mountains  shuts  off  much  of  the  influence  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean  from  eastern  Oregon.  It  contains  vast  farming  areas  in  cultiva- 
tion. >  It  also  furnishes  grazing  for  great  herds  of  cattle  and  horses  and 
large  flocks  of  sheep. 

This  paper  treats  of  rose  growing  in  western  Oregon,  and  especially 
that  part  known  as  the  Willamette  Valley.  This  is  the  old  part  of  the 
state,  and  is  the  part  usually  meant  by  strangers  in  referring  to  Oregon, 
its  climate,  its  agricultural  products,  and  its  flora. 

As  I  shall  refer  only  to  western  Oregon  in  the  rest  of  this  paper, 
1  wish  to  be  understood  as  meaning  the  western  part  of  the  state,  and 
particularly  the  Willamette  Valley,  when  I  use  the  word  "Oregon." 

FACTORS     INFLUENCING     CLIMATE     OF     WESTERN     OREGON. 

The  climate  of  Oregon  is  tempered  and  greatly  influenced  by  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  its  warm  currents,  and  its  soft,  balmy  winds.  The  main 
factor  is  the  Kuro-Siwo,  or  Japan  Current,  which  has  an  effect  on 
Oregon's  climate  similar  to  that  of  the  Atlantic  Gulf  Stream  on  the 
climate  of  the  British  Islands  and  of  France.  The  Cascade  Range, 
which  assists  to  confine  these  influences  largely  to  the  west  of  those 
mountains,  is  another  important  factor. 

It  is  the  effect  of  these  factors  which  has  given  Oregon  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  an  unusually  rainy  etate.  But  it  does  not  deserve  this 
reputation.  It  is  true  it  has  many  days,  especially  in  the  winter,  when 
some  rain  falls,  and  it  has  many  "gray  days,"  resulting  from  the  moisture 
in  the  air. 

Oregon's  climate  suffers  in  reputation  by  comparison  with  "thfc 
glorious  climate  of  California,"  its  small  average  annual  rainfall,  and 
its  long  periods  of  dry  weather,  and  not  taking  into  account  the  dis- 
advantages resulting  therefrom. 

Mr.  Edward  A.  Beals,  the  Section  Director  of  the  United  States 
Weather  Bureau  at  Portland,  has  furnished  me  with  some  facts  and 
figures  which  I  give  here.  These  are  necessary  to  explain  why  Oregon 
produces  such  fine  roses. 


KOSE    GROWING    IX    OREGON".  171 

MEAN   TEMPERATURES  OF   PORTLAND,   SAX   FRANCISCO,  AXD  LOS  ANGELES. 

From  October  1  to  May  1  may  be  called  Oregon's  rainy  season,  or 
more  properly  the  "season  of  rains,"  for  there  are  frequently  periods 
of  days  and  at  times  weeks  of  bright,  warm  days.  October  and  March 
are  often  months  of  almost  continuous  sunshine,  but  sometimes  rainy 
conditions  prevail. 

The  mean  temperatures  of  Portland,  San  Francisco,  and  Los  Angeles 
for  the  past  five  years,  from  October  1  to  May  1,  are: — 

Portland 45.7  degrees 

San   Francisco 53.4  degrees 

Los  Angeles 58.8  degrees 

The  freezing  weather  in  Portland  in  January  and  February  in  these 
years  has  pulled  down  Portland's  mean  winter  temperature. 

From  May  1  to  October  1  the  mean  temperatures  for  the  past  five 
years  are : — 

Portland 62.3  degrees 

San   Francisco 57.9  degrees 

Los  Angeles 67.4  degrees 

These  are  averages.  Averages  include  the  highest  and  the  lowest. 
If  a  summer  morning  is  hot  and  the  afternoon  and  night  are  cold  from 
fog  or  chilling  wind,  the  average  may  be  low,  but  the  temperature  is 
not  even.  Evenness  of  Oregon  spring  and  summer  temperature  is  one 
thing  which  makes  it  the  country  where  ideal  roses  grow. 

Evenness  of  temperature  is  a  great  factor  in  plant  growth  all  over 
the  world.  On  the  high  table-lands  of  southern  Mexico,  where  the  tem- 
perature, day  and  night  throughout  the  year,  rarely  varies  a  degree 
from  65,  coffee  and  all  tropical  flora  grow  in  luxuriant  perfection. 

MEAN    PRECIPITATIONS. 

The  climate  of  Oregon  shows  its  superiority  in  comparison  with  the 
eastern,  middle,  and  northern  states.  The  average  annual  precipitation 
at  Portland  is  45.85  inches.  This  is  greater  than  in  the  rest  of  the 
Willamette  Valley,  in  parts  of  which  it  does  not  exceed  35  inches,  owing 
to  Portland  being  at  the  junction  of  the  Willamette  and  Columbia  Kiver 
Valleys. 

Of  this  45.85  inches  very  little  falls  from  May  to  September.  The 
official  records  for  27  years  show  that  at  Portland  the  average  rain- 
fall from  May  1  to  September  1  is  5.20  inches;  subdivided  into  months, 
the  inches  and  decimals  are:  For  May,  2.41;  for  June,  1.68;  for  July, 
.54;  and  for  August,  .57. 

Louisville,  Kentucky,  Washington,  D.  C.,  the  city  of  New  York,  and 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  have  about  the  same  annual  precipitation  thaf 


172  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

Portland  has.  New  Orleans,  Vicksburg,  and  Charleston,  S.  C.,  have 
from  8  to  15  inches  more  average  annual  precipitation  than  Portland. 
But  Oregon  escapes  the  hot  summers  and  cold  winters  of  the  eastern 
states,  and  also  their  extreme  temperatures  of  heat  and  cold. 

Oregon's  climate  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  southern  England. 
It  is  better  in  everything  in  which  southern  England's  climate  is  good. 
Oregon  has  more  clear  and  fair  days,  less  rain,  and  milder  freezing 
weather  than  southern  England. 

AVERAGE  CLEAR,  FAIR,  AND  RAINY  DAYS. 

The  average  number  of  clear,  fair,  and  rainy  days  at  Portland  for 
spring  and  summer  for  twenty-seven  years  is  as  follows: — 

For  spring,  48  clear  and  fair  days,  and  44  rainy  days. 

For  summer,  74  clear  and  fair  days,  and  18  rainy  days. 

For  fall,  53  clear  and  fair  days,  and  38  rainy  days. 

For  winter,  34  clear  and  fair  days,  and  56  rainy  days. 

By  a  rainy  day  is  meant  a  day  when  one-hundredth  of  an  inch  or 
more  of  rain  falls.  There  are  many  days  in  Oregon  when  the  rainfall- 
is  very  small,  but  they  are  counted  as  rainy  days. 

The  records  of  the  United  States  Weather  Bureau  show  that  the 
average  annual  sunshine  for  thirty  years  at  Portland  is  between  40  and 
50  per  cent,  while  in  Los  Angeles  it  is  between  60  and  70  per  cent. 

The  Oregon  summers  are  free  from  fogs,  chilling  winds,  and  sudden 
changes.  Its  summers  are  as  superior  to  most  summers  elsewhere  as 
California's  winters  are  superior  to  the  winters  of  most  countries. 

EFFECTS   OF    WESTERN    OREGON'S    CLIMATE. 

It  is  the  soft,  balmy,  and  even  climate  which  makes  Oregon  what  it 
it.  It  has  forests  and  other  indigenous  trees.  The  climate  beautifies 
its  forests  and  plains  with  wild  flowers  from  March  to  November.  In 
the  earliest  spring  the  woods  arc  scarlet  with  the  wild  currant;  later  they 
are  yellow  with  the  Oregon  wild  grape,  the  state  flower.  In  April  and 
May  they  are  white  with  the  dogwood.  In  June  and  July  the  woods 
are  again  white  with  the  wild  syringa  and  spinea.  But  I  must  stop,  for 
this  is  not  a  paper  on  Oregon's  wild  flowers. 

Oregon  has  springs  and  streams  which  run  throughout  the  year. 
It  has  green  grass  most  of  the  year.  It  grows  all  its  crops,  vegetables, 
flowers,  and  fruits  without  irrigation.  This  gives  what  may  be  called 
the  natural,  instead  of  the  artificial,  products  of  the  soil.'  In  these 
nature  far  excels  art. 

COMPARISON    OF   OREGON'S    AND    CALIFORNIA^    FLORA. 

Oregon  and  California  each  excel  in  the  flora  best  suited  to  its  cli- 
atc.     The  elm  and  the  maple  do  not  thrive  in  California  as  they  do 


ROSE  GROWING  IN  OREGON.  173 

in  Oregon,  where  they  grow  most  luxuriantly  without  irrigation.  The 
eucalyptus  and  the  pepper  trees  will  not  grow  in  Oregon,  on  account  of 
our  occasional  freezing  weather,  which  kills  them.  The  apple  arrives 
-at  perfection  in  Oregon  from  this  kind  of  climate,  for  it  does  not  object 
to  occasional  cold  weather  in  the  winter,  and  it  likes  an  even  tempera- 
ture in  the  spring,  summer,  and  autumn.  And  the  orange  will  not  grow 
in  Oregon. 

I  do  not  speak  to  you  as  a  stranger,  for  though  I  was  born  in  Oregon, 
which  has  always  been  my  home,  I  am  an  alumnus  of  the  University 
of  California.  There  is  no  unfriendly  rivalry  between  Oregon  and 
California.  Each  excels  in  its  specialties.  When  they  have  larger  pop- 
ulations, and  have  received  fuller  development,  California  will  be  the 
Prance,  and  Oregon  the  England,  of  the  Pacific  Coast. 

OREGON   AS   A  ROSE   COUNTRY. 

Oregon  is  naturally  a  rose  country.  This  is  shown  by  the  numerous 
varieties  and  great  quantities  of  its  wild  roses.  The  common  soil  is 
a  somewhat  heavy,  yellow  clay,  rich  with  vegetable  mold.  It  contains 
iron  in  small  quantities,  which  is  universally  diffused.  The  best  soil 
for  roses  is  this  kind  of  clay,  properly  enriched.  While  a  rose  will 
grow  in  a  sandy  soil,  it  does  not  like  such  a  soil,  and  if  it  does  not  show 
the  effect  in  the  growth  of  the  bush,  it  is  liable  to  in  the  substance  and 
color  of  the  flower. 

This  minute  presence  of  iron  is  of  the  greatest  value  in  brightening 
the  color  of  pink  and  red  roses.  It  is  iron  which  makes  the  exquisite 
blush  on  the  healthy  maiden's  cheek.  Without  it,  be  she  never  so 
maidenly,  she  can  not  blush,  or  at  least  blush  prettily.  These  roses 
are  affected  in  a  somewhat  similar  manner. 

When  Omar  Khayyam  wrote, 

"I  sometimes  think  that  never  blows  so  red 
The  rose  as  where  some  buried  Caesar  bled," 

he  showed  that  the  soil  of  Persia  is  deficient  in  iron,  which  is  supplied 
by  the  iron  in  the  Caesars'  'blood. 

The  rose  comes  to  its  full  beauty  only  when  all  conditions  are  favor- 
able, and  all  its  necessities  and  all  its  luxuries  are  fully  gratified. 
Hardy  roses  will  grow  and  bloom  in  a  warm  climate,  where  hot  and 
<lry  winds  abound,  but  they  will  not  do  their  best  under  such  circum- 
stances. 

In  Oregon  the  heavy  clay  soil,  enriched  either  by  nature  or  by  art, 
the  moisture  supplied  by  heaven  and  not  by  man,  gives  a  strength  of 
growth  to  the  rose-bushes,  and  a  fulness  of  substance  to  the  flowers,  that 
can  not  otherwise  be  supplied.  The  even,  moderate  temperature,  the 
moist  air,  the  gentle,  cool  winds,  the  clouds  which  keep  off  the  too 


174  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

ardent  rays  of  the  sun,  the  long  days  of  June,  in  the  longest  of  which  the 
dark  is  hut  a  brief  respite,  give  the  size,  the  delicacy,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  richness  of  coloring  and  of  shading  to  roses  grown  in  Oregon 
that  different  conditions  can  not  produce.  These  climatic  conditions 
do  not  apply  only  to  its  roses,  for  they  give  to  the  women  of  Oregon  the 
finest  of  complexions. 

Artificial  conditions  can  not  give  to  roses  grown  in  the  open  the  per- 
fection that  natural  conditions  produce. 

IRRIGATION    OF    ROSE-BUSHES. 

For  be  it  known  that  as  man  can  not  live  by  bread  alone,  neither  can 
a  rose  thrive  nor  produce  the  best  results  simply  by  supplying  it  with 
water.  Irrigation  can  make  a  rose  grow  where  it  could  not  otherwise 
live.  But  when  nature  irrigates  with  rain,  it  has  cloudy  skies  and  other 
gentle  aids  and  conditions  which  are  lacking,  and  often  badly  lacking, 
where  the  sky  for  days  is  almost  cloudless  and  the  air  and  wind  are  dry, 
if  not  hot.  Irrigation  under  such  circumstances  is  supplying  one,  only, 
of  the  many  necessaries  for  a  rose's  development  and  beauty. 

In  Portland  I  often  see  the  anxious  but  ignorant  strivers  for  beauti- 
ful roses,  day  after  day  watering  their  bushes  in  May  and  June,  as 
though  each  bush  were  a  calla  or  other  swamp  plant,  and  who  wonder 
why  their  roses  bloom  so  poorly.  Too  much  water  is  even  worse  for  a 
rose-bush's  health  than  too  little.  Either  affects  the  health  of  a  bush, 
and  renders  it  subject  to  rose  diseases  and  pests.  Mildew  will  not  attack 
a  rose-bush  of  good  vitality,  and  the  aphis  is  found  only  on  bushes  with 
vitiated  sap. 

I  have  found  by  many  years  of  continuous  experience  that  in  Oregon 
roses  thrive  better  and  bloom  better  without  irrigation  during  the  spring 
and  early  summer.  The  usual  rainfall  is  ordinarily  sufficient.  If  the 
season  is  unusually  dry,  it  may  be  better  to  irrigate  occasionally,  but  if 
one  does  irrigate,  the  roots  should  be  soaked.  In  the  dryest  weather 
once  in  a  week  or  ten  days  is  sufficient,  Of  course,  I  speak  of  roses 
which  are  well  established — not  of  bushes  recently  planted,  which  must 
sometimes  be  watered  in  dry  weather  to  keep  them  alive. 

I  am  an  amateur  rose  grower.  I  do  all  the  work  on  my  four  hun- 
dred rose-bushes,  except  putting  on  the  manure  for  the  winter  cover- 
ing, and  digging  up  the  ground  in  the  spring.  I  let  no  gardener  plant 
my  bushes  or  prune  them.  My  garden  is  near  the  center  of  Portland, 
but  I  put  on  my  working-clothes,  to  the  surprise  of  dudes,  and  I  work 
for  hours  at  a  time  as  a  gardener  does.  I  do  this  for  recreation  and 
exercise  and  for  the  pleasure  roses  give  me.  I  am  more  than  satisfied 
with  the  results. 


ROSE  GROWING  IN  OREGON.  175 

A  ROSE  YEAR  IN  OREGON. 

Let  me  give  you  a  brief  summary  of  a  rose  year  in  Oregon. 

For  convenience  I  shall,  in  this  paper,  start  my  rose  year  in  the  fall, 
about  the  middle  of  November.  Then  I  always  cover  the  beds  to  a  depth 
of  several  inches  with  new  cow  manure.  It  acts  as  a  protection  against 
freezing,  and  it  is  rich  in  ammonia,  which  seeps  into  the  ground.  Occa- 
sionally I  first  cover  the  beds  with  a  thin  coating  of  bone-dust  or  flour — 
not  bone  meal;  the  latter  takes  so  long  to  disintegrate. 

I  have  given  up  the  use  of  brush  and  other  coverings  for  the  winter. 
I  find  that  in  Oregon  it  enfeebles  the  bushes  and  makes  them  more  liable 
to  damage  by  freezing  weather.  We  have  many  winters  when  we  have 
no  ice.  If  brush  is  used,  it  should  be  piled  near  the  beds,  and  should 
not  be  put  on  the  bushes  until  freezing  weather  begins. 

Care  must  be  exercised  in  removing  the  brush.  After  the  danger  of 
freezing  weather  has  passed,  the  brush  should  be  taken  off,  a  little  at  a 
time.  The  last  should  be  removed  in  rainy  weather,  which  will  harden 
the  tender  shoots.  If  taken  off  in  clear,  warm  weather,  the  sun  may 
kill  all  the  new  shoots  and  greatly  damage  the  bush. 

FREEZING     WEATHER. 

Every  few  years  we  have  a  "cold  snap/'  when  the  thermometer  falls 
to  about  ten  degrees  above  zero,  but  rarely  lower.  When  this  comes,  it 
is  usually  about  the  middle  or  end  of  January,  and  sometimes  does 
damage,  often  killing  the  more  delicate  of  the  tea  roses  to  the  ground- 
But  this  usually  acts  merely  as  a  severe  pruning,  and  the  tea  roses  rise 
again  with  renewed  vigor.  This  killing  to  the  ground  of  delicate  roses 
occurs  when  the  bushes  have  considerable  sap  in  them,  for  our  ordinary 
December  and  January  weather  is  but  slightly  colder  than  in  California, 
and  the  bushes  often  begin  putting  out  new  shoots  in  January.  Our 
roses  do  not  fall  asleep  heavily  in  November,  but  sink  gently  to  rest, 
expecting  an  early  awakening. 

If  a  freeze  occurs  in  December,  usually  little  damage  is  done  to  the 
bushes,  for  they  are  then  comparatively  free  from  sap.  I  have  seen 
Marechal  Mel  bushes  in  Oregon  exposed  to  severe  freezing  weather  for 
three  weeks  in  December  and  not  hurt  at  all.  But  the  Marechal  Niel 
starts  growing  earlier  than  almost  any  rose,  and,  when  in  sap,  is  easily 
killed  by  what  may  be  called  moderate  freezing  weather.  And  this  is 
the  reason  why  this  queen  of  all  roses  is  so  difficult  to  grow  in  Oregon. 
Like  all  other  tea  Noisette  roses  it  blooms  only  on  the  old  wood.  When 
conditions  are  favorable  so  that  it  has  wood  three  or  four  years  old,  no 
finer  Marechal  Niels  bloom  anywhere  than  in  Oregon.  I  have  seen  a 
bush  loaded  with  several  hundred  roses  and  buds  of  the  largest  size,  and 
of  a  deep  golden  color.  It  would  seem  as  though  there  never  could  be 


176  PACIFIC   STATES   FLORAL    CONGRESS. 

produced  a  more  beautiful  rose.  It  is  worth  many  years  of  care  of  a 
Marechal  Niel  bush  in  Oregon  to  obtain  such  results. 

Many  eastern  people  are  unfamiliar  with  the  Marechal  Niel;  for 
in  the  east,  and  often  on  this  coast,  the  roses  the  florists  sell  as  Marechal 
Niels  are  the  Perle  des  Jardins,  which  are  prolific  under  glass  but 
greatly  inferior  to  the  queen  of  roses  in  every  quality. 

Niphetos  is  accounted  one  of  the  most  delicate  of  tea  roses,  yet  I 
have  three  good  bushes  more  than  ten  years  old,  which  grow  in  the 
garden  protected  only  by  being  in  an  angle  of  the  house.  These  bushes 
produce  Niphetos  roses  which  would  make  a  professional  florist  jealous. 

SUBSOIL    DRAINAGE. 

The  heavy  clay  soil  of  Oregon  should  have  perfect  subsoil  drainage, 
for,  apart  from  rainy  conditions  in  winter,  our  freezing  weather  is 
usually  preceded  by  very  heavy  rains,  due  to  the  contest  for  mastery 
between  the  warm  and  cold  waves.  The  ground  then  being  so  wet,  the 
ice  goes  deep,  and  affects  the  roots  of  the  more  tender  rose-bushes.  In 
addition,  subsoil  drainage,  with  cultivation,  gives  the  ground  more 
available  water  in  the  dry  season,  through  capillarity,  .and  enables  the  air 
to  get  to  the  roots  of  the  bushes. 

PRUNING    ROSE-BUSHES. 

About  the  middle  of  February,  sometimes  as  late  as  the  first  week  in 
March,  I  prune  my  bushes.  In  this  I  am  severe,  but  kindly  severe.  I 
bend  over,  I  dig  away  the  soil  to  prune  deep,  where  necessary.  It  tires 
my  back,  but  the  results  justify  me.  It  hurts  mo  more  than  it  does 
the  roses,  but  I  do  it  solely  for  their  good. 

With  all  roses,  except  the  climbers,  the  wood  more  than  a  year  old 
should  usually  be  cut  off,  and  only  the  newer  shoots  be  left.  The  best 
roses  come  on  the  new  wood,  which  carries  more  sap  than  the  older 
wood.  The  center  of  the  bush  must  be  cut  out  to  let  in  the  sun. 

The  usual  rule  in  pruning  is  to  prune  severely  the  weak-growing 
varieties,  for  the  closer  you  prune,  the  more  vigorous  is  the  new  growth. 
The  climbers  should  be  pruned  only  to  make  them  shapely.  Even 
then  the  pruning  shears  should  be  used  sparingly. 

PLANTING    ROSE-BUSHES. 

This  is  the  season  when  it  is  best  to  plant  new  bushes,  using  dor- 
mant plants,  which  are  the  best.  They  make  roots  slowly,  and  become 
established  before  the  growing  season  begins.  In  planting,  I  make  a 

ole  at  least  two  feet  deep  and  as  much  or  more  in  diameter,  often 
putting  m  the  bottom  broken  stone  or  brick  to  secure  drainage.  I  use 
liberally  leaf  mold  mixed  with  clay,  especially  near  the  roots  of  the 

ish.     Leaf  mold  is  nature's  prepared  food  "for   all    plants.     Every 


ROSE    GROWING    IN    OREGON.  177 

grove  and  forest  of  Oregon  supplies  it.  It  is  worth  more  than  all  the 
trouble  to  get  it.  Farther  from  the  roots,  above  and  below  them,  I 
use  small  quantities  of  bone-dust,  which  gives  strength  to  the  bush,  as 
animal  food  gives  strength  to  man. 

I  do  not  have  the  beds  dug  until  the  weeds  in  the  manure  covering 
have  begun  to  grow.  Then  I  have  a  skilful  professional  gardener  dig 
carefully  and  deep,  preferably  with  a  garden  fork  so  as  not  to  injure 
the  new  roots.  Then  I  am  rarely  troubled  with  weeds  in  the  summer. 

FIRST     BLOOMING     SEASON. 

Koses  usually  begin  to  bloom  in  Oregon  in  May.  This  year  the 
first  roses  bloomed  the  last  week  of  April.  I  have  known  them  to  begin 
to  bloom  as  early  as  the  first  week  in  .April.  Ordinarily  our  rose  season 
begins  about  a  month  later  than  in  the  vicinity  of  San  Francisco.  The 
first  blooming  rose  season  lasts  about  two  months,  reaching  its  perfec- 
tion in  June,  but  often  producing  roses  into  July. 

AUTUMN    BLOOMING    SEASON. 

After  the  great  June  blooming  I  let  my  roses  rest  without  irriga- 
tion until  about  the  middle  of  August.  Then  I  soak  the  ground  re- 
peatedly with  water.  If  I  wish  the  best  results  I  also  prune  my  bushes 
just  before  I  soak  the  ground.  I  start  a  new  growth  on  a  plan  similar 
to  that  the  florists  use  to  force  roses  in  a  conservatory.  In  September 
and  October  I  have  a  wealth  of  roses  that  gladdens  the  heart  of  a 
rose-lover. 

All  varieties  do  not  bloom  equally  well  in  the  fall.  Papa  Gontier 
is  rather  gross  and  unattractive  in  the  spring,  but  in  the  fall  its  shell- 
like  beauty  is  wonderful.  Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison  rarely  blooms  well 
in  the  spring,  but  in  the  fall  the  blushes  of  sweet  sixteen  must  be  very 
beautiful,  indeed,  to  rival  it.  Mama  Cochet  and  White  Hainan  Cochet 
are  beautiful  roses  at  any  time,  even  if  their  stems  are  rather  long  and 
somewhat  weak,  but  in  the  fall  the  delicate  pink  shade  of  the  one  and 
the  pale  yellow  of  the  other  have  a  beauty  and  an  exquisite  contrast 
which  are  hardly  excelled.  Mme.  Caroline  Testout  is  the  most  beautiful 
of  pink  roses  in  October.  The  finest  bouquet  of  Safranos  I  ever  saw 
I  gathered  in  my  garden  one  Thanksgiving  day.  In  Oregon  we  fre- 
quently have  roses  in  our  gardens  at  Christmas.  They  are  not  the 
fine  roses  of  the  early  fall,  but  they  bloom  because  of  the  mildness  of 
the  weather. 

Most  tea  and  hybrid  tea  roses  and  many  hybrid  remontant  roses  in 
Oregon  are  as  beautiful,  in  many  instances  more  beautiful,  in  the 
autumn  than  they  are  in  the  spring,  although  they  are  not  equally 
abundant.  That  is,  when  they  have  a  period  of  rest  in  mid-summer, 


178  PACIFIC   STATES   FLORAL   CONGRESS. 

and  are  then  heavily  irrigated,  as  I  have  spoken  of.  In  the  fall  the 
ground  has  not  then  become  cold,  and  so,  even  if  there  be  a  frost  at 
night,  the  roses  bloom  if  the  sun  shines,  for  a  night's  frost  does  not 
hurt  a  rose  blooming  in  the  open. 

Koses  must  have  sun  to  bloom  well.  The  rose  is  truly  a  sun  flower. 
California  excels  Oregon  in  producing  hothouse  roses  in  winter, 
because  it  has  more  sun  at  that  time,  even  if  the  days  are  chilly.  In 
the  hothouse  the  florist  can  control  the  inside  conditions.  But  such 
roses  must  have  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  to  bloom. 

CLIMBING    ROSES. 

The  first  rose  to  bloom  with  me  in  quantities  in  the  spring  is  that 
hardy  climber,  Mine.  Alfred  Carriere.  Its  exquisite  large  roses — 
nearly  white — usually  have  stems  about  two  feet  long.  I  have  four 
large  bushes.  One  covers  a  trellis  thirty  feet  long  and  nearly  twenty 
feet  high.  Every  spring  I  am  compelled  to  cut  away  the  tops  of  the 
branches  to  keep  them  from  falling  over.  Its  main  branches  are  as 
large  as  my  wrist.  It  is  rather  a  shy  bloomer  until  it  is  several  years 
old.  Then  it  is  one  of  the  most  profuse  bloomers.  For  nearly  a  month 
I  cut  hundreds  of  beautiful  roses  every  week  from  these  four  bushes. 
And  yet  the  late  H.  B.  Ellwanger,  in  his  book  on  "The  Rose,"  says  that 
Mme.  Alfred  Carriere  is  not  a  free  bloomer  and  is  undesirable.  This 
shows  how  conditions  in  Oregon  affect  roses ;  for  II.  B.  Ellwanger  was 
a  great  rosarian  and  an  accurate  judge  of  the  proper  rating  of  the 
qualities  of  roses.  He  judged  by  results  in  the  state  of  New  York,  where 
he  lived. 

The  tea  Noisette  family,  with  the  exception  of  the  Marechal  Niel, 
do  exceptionally  well  in  Oregon.  The  Lamarque,  the  mother  and 
grandmother  of  the  family,  with  white  flowers  instead  of  hair,  smiles 
most  benignantly  from  a  trellis  in  my  garden,  and  adds  its  exquisite 
odor  to  the  general  perfume.  Blessings  on  thee,  Lamarque,  not  only 
for  thyself,  but  for  the  beautiful  daughters  and  granddaughters  thou 
hast  blessed  us  with. 

The  Solfaterre  is  one  of  our  best  climbers.  It  is  comparatively 
hardy,  and  is  a  strong  grower.  Many  people  do  not  know  its  name, 
and  it  is  often  called  the  "Yellow  Lamarque/' 

My  house  faces  the  north.  Over  the  front  veranda  I  have  two  large 
bushes  of  Gloire  de  Dijon.  By  giving  them  this  northern  exposure  I 
have  a  wealth  of  golden  roses  which  at  a  short  distance  look  almost  like 
Marechal  Niels.  Mme.  Alfred  Carriere  wishes  the  sun  all  day.  The 
Gloire  de  Dijon  should  have  only  a  short  half  day  of  morning  sun. 
More  than  that  makes  the  flowers  open  too  quickly  and  fades  them. 

Some  of  the  yellow  and  white  Banksia  roses  grow  in  Oregon,  but 


ROSE    GROWING    IN    OREGON.  179 

as  they  are  easily  killed  to  the  ground  by  freezing  weather,  most  peo- 
ple prefer  to  grow  the  hardier  climbers.  That  beautiful  Banksia  rose. 
Fortune's  Double  Yellow,  does  well  in  Oregon.  Its  bronze  or  coppery 
yellow  roses  always  excite  the  greatest  admiration.  This  rose  is  some- 
times miscalled  the  "Beauty  of  Glazenwood,"  and  is  known  in  parts  of 
California  as  the  "San  Eafael  Rose." 

The  Banksia  roses  have  a  hard  time  with  their  names.  There  are 
a  number  of  varieties,  mostly  white  or  yellow.  They  have  been  culti- 
vated in  China  for  many  centuries.  The  first  variety  introduced  in 
Europe  was  named  "Lady  Banks"  in  honor  of  that  lady.  The  botan- 
ical name  in  Latin  is  Rosa  Banksia.  The  whole  family  is  therefore 
called  "Banksia"  roses,  or  sometimes  "Lady  Banks"  roses.  In  many 
parts  of  the  country  they  are  ignorantly  known  as  "Lady  Banksia" 
roses.  This  is  as  bad  as  calling  a  calla  a  "calla  lily." 

Gloire  de  Margottin  is  not  a  rampant  climber,  but  it  grows  well, 
and  is  hardy.  In  my  garden  it  has  taken  the  place  of  Reine  Marie 
Henriette.  Its  beautiful  scarlet  roses  grow  of  large  size  and  in  clus- 
ters, and  make  a  fine  contrast  with  the  light-colored  climbers. 

TEA   ROSES. 

Almost  all  the  tea  roses  do  well  in  Oregon.  Most  of  the  bushes 
grow  strong  and  thrifty,  and  their  flowers  are  dainty  and  beautiful, 
as  becomes  this  gentle  family.  Most  teas  are  not  harmed  by  freezing 
weather  in  Oregon.  There  are  so  many  exquisite  varieties  that  I  have 
not  time  to  enumerate  them.  They  include  all  colors  and  shades 
known  to  roses.  Unfortunately,  some  of  the  finest  tea  r'oses,  of  which 
Bridesmaid  is  one,  do  not  reach  perfection  anywhere  in  the  open,  but 
are  most  beautiful  when  blooming  under  glass.  Beware  of  the  tea 
rose  catalogued  as  forcing  well,  unless  there  is  added  that  it  blooms  well 
in  the  garden.  Every  rose-grower  in  Oregon  has  tea  roses  in  his  collec- 
tion, but  the  hybrid  teas  and  hybrid  remontant  roses  are  so  superb  in 
Oregon  that  many  people  with  limited  garden  space  prefer  them  to  the 
teas,  excepting,  of  course,  some  of  the  finest  varieties. 

HYBRID    TEA    ROSES. 

I  have  a  small  hedge  of  Viscountess  Folkestone.  Its  thirty  bushes 
make  one  almost  bow  in  adoration  to  its  wondrous  beauty  in  its  first 
blooming  season.  These  roses  often  exceed  seven  inches  in  diameter. 
The  Viscountess  Folkestone  bush  is  rather  a  dwarf  grower.  It  has 
never  been  widely  advertised.  It  is  not  a  favorite  with  the  florist,  as  it 
is  not  a  hothouse  variety.  For  beauty  and  size  I  place  it  at  the  head 
of  hybrid  teas.  Its  delicate  colors  are  difficult  to  describe.  A  friend 
of  mine,  who  is  a  rose-lover  but  not  a  rose-grower,  describes  a  Vis- 


180  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

countess  Folkestone  rose  as  reminding  him  of  a  beautiful  girl  wearing 
a  light-colored  Gainsborough  hat,  ornamented  with  white  ostrich 
plumes. 

Opposite  my  Folkestone  hedge  I  have  a  hedge  of  La  France  roses. 
By  enriching  the  soil,  carefully  cultivating,  and  not  giving  it  too  much 
sun,  the  purplish  hue  of  La  France  is  eliminated  in  Oregon,  and  its 
roses  almost  equal  Viscountess  Folkestone  in  size,  and  Captain  Christy 
in  exquisite  perfection  of  color.  I  know  no  rose  with  a  more  delicious 
perfume  than  La  France,  and  while  Mme.  Caroline  Testout  excels  it 
in  color,  in  the  longer  time  of  blooming,  in  ability  to  bloom  in  perfec- 
tion in  the  hottest  clays  of  summer,  and  as  a  fall  bloomer,  nevertheless 
the  perfume  of  the  La  France  enables  it  to  hold  good  its  own  against  its 
more  beautiful  rival.  People  who  know  La  France  as  seen  in  the  flor- 
ists' shops  in  Han  Francisco  have  little  idea  of  its  great  beauty  and  size 
as  grown  in  gardens  in  Oregon.  It  will  take  a  very  fine  rose,  which 
has  not  yet  been  originated,  to  supplant  La  France  in  Oregon. 

Captain  Christy  is  classed  as  a  hybrid  tea.  Like  many  of  that 
class,  it  is  usually  of  moderate  growth.  Occasionally  its  roses  are  im- 
perfect, but,  when  perfect,  it  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  all  roses. 
Its  delicate  flesh  color,  deepening  into  soft  pink,  is  unsurpassed. 

Kaiserina  Augusta  Victoria  is  another  fine  hybrid  tea.  It  is  a  deli- 
cate lemon-yellow,  although  usually  called  a  white  rose.  It  blooms 
well  in  the  garden  and  also  under  glass. 

Gloire  Lyonnaise  was  introduced  as  a  yellow  hybrid  remontant  rose. 
I  class  it  as  a  hybrid  tea.  It  is  a  more  decided  yellow  than  Kaiserina 
Augusta  Victoria,  and  is  much  superior  to  it  as  a  garden  rose.  It  does 
not  produce  a  great  quantity  of  roses,  but  such  as  it  does,  are  magnifi- 
cent. I  consider  it  the  best  of  all  so-called  white  roses.  There  are  no 
pure  white  roses.  What  are  called  white  roses  are  very  delicately- 
colored  yellow  or  pink  roses,  which  quickly  fade  in  the  sun.  This  is 
easily  seen  when  they  bloom  in  cold,  cloudy  weather.  But  for  conven- 
ience I  call  them  white  roses,  as  they  usually  turn  white  as  soon  as 
they  bloom,  and  most  people  know  them  as  such. 

Pierre  Guillot  is  the  best  of  the  red  hybrid  teas.  It  is  a  beautiful 
scarlet-crimson  color,  and  blooms  in  the  hot  sun  without  quickly  fading. 

All  the  hybrid  teas  are  hardy  in  Oregon,  and  are  most  satisfactory. 

PINK     AND     CARMINE     HYBRID     REMONTANT     ROSES. 

All  the  hybrid  remontant  pink,  cherry-red,  and  carmine  roses  bloom 
m  Oregon  m  rare  perfection.  Baroness  Rothschild,  Mme.  Gabrielle 
Lmzet  Mrs.  John  Laing,  Mile.  Eugene  Verdier,  Francois  Michelon, 
Ulrich  Brummer,  Anne  de  Diesbach,  Mrs.  George  Dickson,  Her  Majesty, 
and  many  others  are  of  perfect  form,  of  the  largest  size,  and  outshine 
each  other  m  exquisite  perfection  of  color. 


ROSE    GROWING    IN    OREGON.  181 

It  is  unfortunate  that  some  of  the  finest  pink  and  white  roses  have 
little  or  no  perfume.  Baroness  Eothschild  needs  only  perfume  to  be 
almost  a  rival  to  Marechal  Niel  as  the  queen  of  roses.  Captain  Christy 
and  Mme.  Gabrielle  Luizet  are  but  little,  if  any,  inferior  to  it.  Mer- 
veille  de  Lyons  and  all  the  other  white  roses  of  the  Baroness  Roths- 
child family  are  exquisitely  beautiful,  but,  alas,  all  these  lack  the  divine 
afflatus  of  perfume.  - 

I  know  that — 

"The  rose  looks  fair,  but  fairer  we  it  deem 
For  that  sweet  odor  that  doth  in  it  live.'' 

But  these  grand  odorless  roses  are  so  beautiful  in  every  other  rose 
charm  that  they  compel  our  greatest  admiration,  even  if  they  do  lack 
this  "Podore  femnirnino." 

I  am  often  amused  by  visitors  from  the  eastern  states  who  are  not 
willing  to  admit  that  the  Pacific  Coast  states,  as  new  communities,  can 
equal  the  eastern  states  in  anything.  They  can  but  admire  the  size 
and  beauty  of  these  odorless  roses,  but  they  almost  invariably  say,  "Yes, 
they  are  beautiful,  but  they  lack  the  perfume  these  roses  have  when 
grown  in  the  eastern  states." 

WHITE     HYBRID     REMONTANT     ROSES. 

The  most  magnificent  white  hybrid  remontant  roses  grown  in  Ore- 
gon are  Merveille  de  Lyons,  White  Baroness,  Mabel  Morrison,  and 
Margaret  Dickson. 

Marchioness  of  Londonderry  I  account  almost  a  failure,  for  while 
it  is  of  great  size  and  of  beautiful  form  and  substance,  its  color  is  a 
dirty  white,  due  to  an  ugly  shade  of  pink,  which  never  completely  fades 
away. 

The  florists  care  little  for  these  hardy  white  roses,  for,  while  they 
produce  magnificent  flowers,  they  do  not  produce  great  quantities  of 
them,  and  are  not  profitable.  Merveille  de  Lyons  I  consider  one  of  the 
finest  of  roses  for  size,  shape,  and  color.  The  few  roses  its  bushes  pro- 
duce are  so  magnificent  that  I  am  more  than  satisfied  with  their 
shyness. 

DARK    RED    HYBRID    REMONTANT     ROSES. 

Oregon  excels,  also,  with  the  hybrid  remontant  red  roses, — the  crim- 
son, carmine-crimson,  scarlet-crimson,  and  maroon -crimson  varieties. 
These,  for  convenience,  I  call  dark  red  roses  in  this  paper. 

In  the  galaxy  of  beauty  of  dark  red  roses  grown  in  Oregon  we  have 
of  the  carmine-crimson  and  scarlet-crimson  colors:  Alfred  Colomb, 
Marie  Baumann,  Marshall  P.  Wilder,  A.  K.  Williams,  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh, Marie  Rady,  Duke  of  Teck,  Lady  Helen  Stewart,  and  many 
similar  varieties. 


jg2  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

And  of  the  crimson  and  maroon-crimson:  Xavier  Olibo,  Gloire  de 
Bourg  la  Heine,  Charles  Lefevre,  Horace  Vernet,  Louis  Van  Houtte, 
Fisher  Holmes,  Pierre  Netting,  La  Rosiere,  Abel  Carriere,  Baron  de 
Bonstetten,  Prince  Camille  de  Rohan,  and  Jean  Liabaud.  There  are 
many  other  beautiful  varieties.  I  mention  merely  some  of  the  best. 

All  these  dark  red  roses  are  hardy  and  fragrant.  They  do  not 
like  hot  weather.  Under  glass  they  bloom  only  in  a  cold  frame,— not 
in  a  hothouse. 

Of  the  dark  red  roses  my  favorite,  for  all  purposes,  is  the  Xavier 
Olibo.  It  is  exquisite  in  bud  and  flower,  although  not  of  the  largest 
size.  It  is  a  constant  bloomer.  It  is  one  of  the  earliest  to  bloom,  and 
is  the  last  dark  red  rose  to  bloom  in  the  fall.  It  is,  however,  hard  to 
propagate.  I  have  twelve  bushes,  and  they  are  all  root-budded,  either 
on  Manetti  or  the  Dog  Brier.  Dean  Hole,  in  his  "Book  about  Roses," 
gives  Xavier  Olibo  a  place  among  the  twelve  best  roses. 

I  wish  I  had  time  to  expatiate  on  the  great  beauty  of  all  fine  dark 
red  roses  as  grown  in  Oregon.  A  blind  man  once  said  that  when  he 
felt  scarlet  it  was  as  when  a  trumpet  sounds.  To  me  these  dark  red 
roses  are  sometimes  like  Beethoven's  music,  sometimes  like  Chopin's, — 
usually  grand,  often  mystical,  but  always  entrancing. 

Fine  dark  red  roses  grow  too  perfectly  in  Oregon  for  us  to  have 
any  time  or  garden  space  to  waste  on  the  so-called  "American  Beauty," 
with  its  solferino  petals.  It  is  an  absolute  failure  in  the  garden.  It  is 
essentially  a  florist's  rose,  for  under  glass  it  forces  easily,  and  is  an 
almost  continuous  bloomer.  The  florists  have  made  it  the  fashion,  for 
no  other  dark  red  rose  has  these  hothouse  characteristics.  Even  when 
grown  under  glass,  the  American  Beauty  is  almost  always  of  an  unsatis- 
factory, faded  color.  Unfortunately,  many  people  are  deficient  in  ap- 
preciation of*  colors  and  of  color  harmony.  In  fact,  more  people  lack 
these  qualities  than  those  who  have  no  full  appreciation  of  music.  As 
long  as  the  American  Beauty  is  a  fashionable  rose,  most  people  are  satis- 
fied with  it,  faded  petals  and  all. 

SPECIMEN    ROSES. 

Roses  are  not  necessarily  to  be  judged  by  size.  Beauty  of  form,  a 
lack  of  grossness,  a  perfection  of  color  and  perfume,  must  unite  to 
make  a  perfect  rose.  These  essentials  are  noticeable  in  the  Oregon 
roses. 

Of  the  dark  red  roses  specimens  are  often  seen  in  our  Oregon  rose 
shows  measuring  about  six  inches  in  diameter  by  actual  measurement. 
Many  varieties  of  the  pink  and  light-colored  roses  even  exceed  this  size. 

I  have  a  friend,  an  amateur  rose-grower,  whose  home  is  near  Port- 
land, who  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  successful  rose-growers,  either 


ROSE    GROWING    IX    OREGON.  183 

amateur  or  professional,  in  Oregon.  He  delights  in  producing  speci- 
men roses.  All  his  roses  are  grown  in  the  garden.  The  Paul  Neyron 
is  one  of  the  largest  roses  known.  Catalogues  published  in  the  eastern 
states  speak  of  it  as  attaining  a  diameter  of  seven  inches.  This  friend 
of  mine  has  produced  for  years  many  Paul  Neyron  roses  measuring 
between  eleven  and  twelve  inches  in  diameter  by  actual  measurement. 
Many  other  varieties  grown  by  him  are  simply  marvelous  in  size. 

DEVELOPMENT     IN     ROSES. 

Most  people,  who  are  not  rosarians,  know  the  names  of  but  two  dark 
red  roses  which  grow  in  the  gardens,  viz.,  Black  Prince  and  General 
Jacqueminot,  the  latter  being  usually  called  "Jacqueminot,"  or,  more 
familiarly,  "the  Jack." 

Black  Prince  is  a  very  inferior  rose  and  rarely  grown.  It  has  small, 
dark  crimson  flowers,  usually  imperfect.  Few  people  have  seen  it. 
But  the  name  sounds  fine,  and  many  people  like  to  speak  familiarly  of 
royalty.  It  is  the  name  they  apply  to  all  dark  crimson  roses. 

Nearly  all  other  dark  red  roses,  of  whatever  shade,  except  the  Amer- 
ican Beauty,  these  people  usually  call  Jacqueminot.  So,  of  course, 
Jacqueminot  to  them  is  the  most  beautiful  red  rose,  because  it  includes 
nearly  all.  In  fact,  General  Jacqueminot  is  now  passed  as  a  fine  gar- 
den rose.  It  has  been  superseded  by  its  rivals,  especially  the  younger 
and  more  beautiful  brunettes,  some  of  which  are  its  children  or  descend- 
ants. Before  the  year  1885  Dean  Hole  (then  Canon  Hole),  the  greatest 
of  amateur  rosarians,  wrote  that  General  Jacqueminot  must  pale  its 
"ineffectual  fires"  in  the  presence  of  its  more  charming  rivals  produced 
by  the  development  in  roses.  With  Dean  Hole,  I  respect  General 
Jacqueminot  for  what  it  has  been.  But  as  beauty  is  the  test,  like 
other  men,  I  have  followed  the  new  and  more  entrancing  beauties.  As 
new  varieties  are  produced  excelling  the  old,  the  old  are  crowded  out. 

THE     ROSE     AND     ITS     DEVELOPMENT. 

From  the  earliest  times  the  rose  has  been  the  subject  of  poetry  and 
of  song.  A  Latin  or  an  old  English  poem  on  the  rose  is  about  the 
rose  as  it  was  at  the  time  the  poem  was  written.  As  imperfect  as  roses 
were  then,  as  compared  with  the  roses  of  to-day,  they  excited  great 
admiration.  The  music  which  the  Greek  and  Roman  poets  praised  so 
highly  was  almost  as  inferior  to  the  music  we  now  have  as  the  Chinese 
music  is. 

The  rose  is  the  finest,  the  most  beautiful,  and  the  most  delightfully 
fragrant  of  all  flowers  grown  in  the  open  in  the  temperate  zone.  It 
will  grow  everywhere  almost  without  cultivation,  but  it  reaches  its  full 
perfection  only  when  the  climatic  conditions  and  the  cultivation  are 


Ig4  PACIFIC  STATES  FLORAL  CONGRESS. 

satisfactory.     It  beautifies  the  homes  and  gladdens  the  hearts  of  the 
humblest  as  well  as  of  the  greatest.     Its  beauty,  modesty,  perfume,  and 
ability  to  please  are  almost  womanly  in  charming  perfection. 
"For  women  are  as  roses." 

A  rosarian  might  almost  wish  to  live  always  to  see  the  perfection  of 
his  favorite  flower  in  new  varieties  yet  to  be  produced.  It  is  probable 
that,  having  Gloire  Lyonnaise,  there  will  yet  be  originated  a  yellow 
rose  equaling,  if  not  excelling,  Marechal  Niel,  and  perfectly  hardy. 
Marechal  Niel  is  the  granddaughter  of  Lamarque,  which  is  a  more  deli- 
cate yellow,  and  is  more  nearly  white  than  Gloire  Lyonnaise. 

In  my  four  hundred  bushes  I  have  only  about  sixty  varieties.  I 
am  limited  in  garden  space.  If  I  like  a  rose,  I  prefer  to  have  a  num- 
ber of  bushes  of  that  variety,  to  a  greater  number  of  bushes  of  similar 
varieties.  It  must  be  a  very  fine  rose  to  be  admitted  to  my  four  hun- 
dred. But  had  I  space  to  grow  thousands  of  roses,  I  believe  I  should 
content  myself  with  not  to  exceed  one  hundred  varieties  of  roses  of  all 
sorts. 

BUDDED    EOSES. 

I  am  a  believer  in  having  roses  (especially  the  dwarf -growing  vari- 
eties) root-budded  on  some  strong-growing  stock,  preferably  Manetti, 
as  it  produces  large  quantities  of  sap.  I  make  my  own  standards  by 
budding.  Where  I  go  duck-shooting  in  Oregon  in  the  fall,  I  discovered 
a  variety  of  wild  rose  the  stems  of  which  are  sometimes  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  long  and  often  over  two  inches  in  diameter,  showing  long 
life  and  great  vitality.  I  have  found  this  one  of  the  best  stocks  on 
which  to  bud  to  make  standards,  and  it  is  perfectly  hardy. 

COLOR    HARMONY. 

In  arranging  my  roses  in  the  garden  I  have  tried  to  plant  them  so 
that  their  colors  do  not  jar,  but  harmonize,  for  jarring  colors  affect  me 
as  do  discords  in  music. 

I  have  often  moved  bushes  to  make  this  harmony.  Pink  roses  of, 
different  varieties  rarely  look  well  together.  Mrs.  John  Laing  will  not 
harmonize  with  any  other  pink  rose.  If  you  have  never  done  so,  put 
any  pink  rose  with  a  dark  crimson  rose,  and  see  how  beautifully  they 
contrast.  I  have  beds  in  my  garden  in  each  of  which  I  have  but  one 
variety  of  pink  roses,  one  variety  of  dark  red  roses,  Avith  two  or  three 
bushes  of  a  hardy  white  variety,  to  heighten  the  beauty  and  soften  the 
contrast  of  colors.  For  instance,  Mme.  Caroline  Testout,  Xavier  Olibo, 
and  Merveille  de  Lyons. 

Many  visitors  to  my  garden  are  struck  by  this  harmony,  sometimes 
without  appreciating  the  cause  of  it.  If  you-  have  not  planted  your 


ROSE    GROWING    IN    OREGON.  185 

roses  on  this  plan,  try  it,  and  you  can  not  fail  to  be  pleased  with  the 
result. 

Except  in  the  late  fall  and  early  winter,  I  give  nearly  all  my  spare 
time  to  my  roses.  Sometimes  in  the  early  spring,  when  everything, 
including  myself,  is  cold  and  wet  in  my  garden,  I  almost  feel  that  it 
is  hardly  worth  while.  But  when  I  get  into  that  state  of  mind,  the 
reaction  takes  place  as  I  think  of  the  glories  to  come. 

I  recall  some  charming  evenings  of  those  rare  days  in  June  when 
all  my  roses  are  in  full  bloom.  When  the  sun  has  set,  and  the  long 
day  is  still  light,  there  are  times  when  I  seem  to  see  in  my  garden  one 
of  nature's  grand  symphonies  performed  by  my  roses,  in  which  each  is 
a  soloist,  yet  making  as  a  whole  a  wonderful  orchestra,  playing  in  color 
harmony  to  the  eye  instead  of  in  sound  harmony  to  the  ear,  with  not  a 
discord  nor  a  false  note,  and  as  though  it  were  conducted  by  a  silent 
angel,  skilled  in  the  divine  harmony  of  heaven. 

And  sometimes,  as  the  shadows  lengthen  and  the  breeze  has  almost 
died  away,  these  roses,  in  their  silent  concert,  before  they  close  their 
petals  for  their  night's  sleep,  seem  to  play  softly,  in  harmonious  colors, 
a  kind  of  lullaby,  more  delicate,  more  exquisite,  and  as  restful  as 
Schumann's  "Slumber  Song." 

It  exalts  me  to  all  this.  It  more  than  repays  me  for  all  my  care 
and  hard  work  to  see  one  of  these  recitals.  And  I  am  content. 

To  every  one  who  has  a  surfeit  of  folly  or  of  fashion,  of  hard  work, 
of  tired  body  and  brain;  to  every  one  world-weary  or  soul-weary;  to 
every  one  who  would  find  "surcease  of  sorrow,"  I  say,  Come  to  Oregon 
and  grow  roses  with  your  own  labor,  just  for  the  love  of  them,  and  you 
will  find  happiness. 

Portland,  Or. 


504 


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